Wind River Range — Cirque of the Towers
Wind River Range, WY
Elevation Profile
Current Conditions
Bottom Line
A winter storm is hitting the Winds right now — snow showers through tonight with a 14°F low. Friday clears and Saturday looks excellent, but you're heading in during the messy part. Go, but plan for a cold, snowy approach today and be ready for post-storm snow on the trails through Friday morning.
40°/14°F · Snow Showers
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31" depth
Normal flows · 5 gauges
No active fires within 50 miles
14h 49m daylight · Sunrise 5:50 AM · Sunset 8:39 PM
Full Briefing
The first 24 hours of this trip are the problem. Today's forecast is 34°F with snow showers and near-certain precip — you're walking into an active winter storm at Cirque of the Towers elevation (~10,000 ft+). Tonight drops to 14°F with continued snow showers and gusts to 17 mph NNE. That's a hard freeze on fresh snow, which means icy trail surfaces and potentially tricky footing on any exposed terrain tomorrow morning. Bring microspikes — you will use them on the approach Friday morning before the sun gets on the trail. Traction matters more than you'd expect on the steep sections coming into the Cirque.
The good news is the pattern breaks cleanly. Friday is partly sunny with only 13% precip and light westerly winds under 10 mph. Saturday is fully sunny, 48°F, winds 3-17 mph W — that's a legitimately great alpine day. You're looking at two and a half excellent days if you can get through the stormy arrival. Friday's warming into the 40s followed by a 22°F overnight means snowmelt will be modest and controlled — stream flows should stay manageable. The USGS gauges in the broader region are all near or below median right now, and there's no evidence of runoff surge in the data. Crossings in Big Sandy drainage should be straightforward this weekend.
SNOTEL data for this specific area is noisy — the nearby stations don't cleanly represent Cirque of the Towers elevation, but the 31-inch snowpack depth reported is consistent with a late-May snowpack that's actively melting at lower elevations and still consolidated up high. Expect continuous snow coverage above ~9,500 ft. Route-finding may require more attention than a summer trip — cairns and trail tread will be buried in places. The Big Sandy approach is relatively low-angle so post-holing shouldn't be brutal, but budget extra time on the trail today.
No fires within 50 miles, air quality is clean. Nearly 15 hours of daylight gives you a massive weather window — on Saturday especially, you can push a long day without any time pressure. If you're flexible, consider camping at Big Sandy Lake tonight and moving into the Cirque Friday or Saturday when the snow has consolidated and conditions are clear. That keeps you lower and sheltered during the worst of the storm and sets you up for a stellar finish to the trip.
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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