Wind River Range — Cirque of the Towers
Wind River Range, WY
Elevation Profile
Current Conditions
Bottom Line
Snow showers today with a high of 33°F and lows dropping to 17°F — this is a winter trip, not a fall backpacking trip. The stream gauge data in the raw feed is from Central California and irrelevant to the Wind Rivers; treat crossing conditions as unknown. Go if you're prepared for winter camping and potential snowfall, but don't underestimate the overnight cold.
37°/17°F · Snow Showers
Data temporarily unavailable
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0" depth
Elevated flows · 5 gauges
No active fires within 50 miles
10h 17m daylight · Sunrise 6:53 AM · Sunset 5:09 PM
Full Briefing
The weather is the story here. Today kicks off with snow showers at 33°F and a 75% precip chance — you're hiking in to the Cirque in active snowfall. Overnight lows hit 17°F tonight and again Wednesday night. Tuesday is your best day: mostly sunny, highs near 37°F, light westerly winds. That's a reasonable window for moving camp or tagging a summit, but you're bookended by cold nights on both sides. Wednesday stays mostly cloudy and cold at 35°F with another 17°F overnight, so plan your out day Thursday morning knowing you're breaking camp in sub-20°F conditions.
The SNOTEL stations listed (Annie Springs, Long Lake, McNeil Canyon) are all at very low elevations — under 1,400 feet — and show zero snow depth. Those are irrelevant to the Cirque of the Towers, which sits at roughly 10,200 feet. The snowpack at your elevation is unknown from this data, but with overnight lows in the teens and active snow showers today, expect snow on the ground and on the approach. Big Sandy Trail and the final push to Lonesome Lake will have snow-covered rock and potentially icy patches, especially on shaded north-facing sections above treeline.
The stream crossing data in this briefing is from Central California gauges — completely inapplicable to the Wind Rivers. Treat crossing conditions as genuinely unknown. In early November, flows in the range are typically low due to reduced snowmelt and freeze cycles overnight, but you can't confirm that from this data. Scout all crossings before committing, and expect any wet rock to be iced over in morning hours given those overnight temperatures.
Daylight is tight: 10h 17m with sunset at 5:09 PM. If you're starting today at noon, you have roughly five hours of usable daylight to reach camp. The Big Sandy trailhead to the Cirque is about 9 miles with 2,000 feet of gain — that's a hard push in winter conditions starting at midday. Strongly consider camping at Big Sandy Lake tonight rather than pushing to the Cirque, then moving up Tuesday on the clear day. Be in camp before 4 PM each day to allow time for setup before dark.
Waypoints
Big Sandy Lodge Trailhead
Long dirt road from Pinedale. The trailhead for both the Cirque loop and Wind River High Route.
9,501 ft
Big Sandy Lake
Beautiful alpine lake camp. Many hikers spend a night here before the pass.
9,820 ft
Jackass Pass
The crux. Views of the Cirque beyond. Snow through mid-July.
10,801 ft
Cirque Basin
The heart of the Cirque. Pingora, Wolf's Head, and the other towers surround the meadow.
10,000 ft
Route Details
Distance
22.0 mi
Elevation Gain
3,750 ft
Elevation Loss
3,750 ft
Max Elevation
10,801 ft
Estimated Days
4
Trailhead
Big Sandy Lodge Trailhead
Best Season
July through September. Snow on passes in June and early July. Grizzly bears present—bear canister required.
Permit Required
Bridger Wilderness permit required. Self-issue at trailhead. Bear canister mandatory.
About This Route
The Cirque of the Towers is a dramatic horseshoe of granite spires in the southern Wind River Range of Wyoming, one of the most spectacular alpine environments in the Rocky Mountains. The 22-mile loop reaches the cirque via Big Sandy Lake and Jackass Pass, surrounded by towers with evocative names—Pingora, Wolf's Head, Warrior, Overhanging Tower. The approach from Big Sandy Lodge is 7 miles to Big Sandy Lake, where most hikers camp before continuing over Jackass Pass (10,798 ft) into the cirque basin. The towers are a world-class rock climbing destination, but the non-climbing hiker can experience the full visual spectacle of the granite walls from the meadows below. This is true wilderness. No maintained trails in many sections, camp fires prohibited above 9,500 feet, and grizzly bears are present in the drainage. Pack a bear canister and know your bear safety. Snowpack lingers well into July on the north-facing passes. The solitude here is profound by western standards—permits are required but quotas are generous. The nearest town is Pinedale, 30+ miles away. Cell service is absent for days at a time.
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