Camping with Horses Horsepack camping trips in Bridger Teton National Forest are perfect for the family By Dina Mishev
Horsepackers Fording a Stream
I have tried hiking into the depths of the Wind River Mountains, the unofficial heart of Wyoming's Bridger Teton National Forest three times. I have failed three times. Or, not really "failed" as it isn't possible to fail when enjoying great hiking in one of the most remote backcountry areas of the Lower 48 states; rather three times I was not able to reach my objective end destinations because well, the going is tough when on foot with 50-some odd pounds strapped to your back and you have an area roughly the size of Connecticut (3.4 million acres or 5,300-square miles) at your disposal.
The fourth, fifth and sixth times I ventured into the Wind River Mountains, I saw more, carried less, slept more comfortably, ate better and even reached the spots I wanted to. I give the full credit for these trips' successes to the horses I went with. While I'll never disparage hiking and the joy of reaching a campsite knowing you carried everything you need to survive the night on your very own back, horsepack camping trips are a great way to experience the same wilderness with much less work and in much better style (no paper-thin sleeping pads here). Traveling with horses also allows junior and senior wilderness explorers (i.e. kids and grandparents) a chance to get into more remote areas than if they were under their own footpower. And the Bridger Teton National Forest is all about remote areas.
The second largest national forest outside of Alaska, the Bridger Teton National Forest (BTNF) stretches from Yellowstone National Park along the eastern border of Grand Teton National Park and the western slope of the Continental Divide to the southern end of the Wind Rivers. The tallest peak in Wyoming (Gannett Peak, 13,804 feet) as well as 40 named mountains over 12,000 feet are in the BTNF. Seven of the largest glaciers outside of Alaska are within forest boundaries. There are about 1,500 lakes – give or take a few dozen – in the BTNF and the Yellowstone, Snake and Green Rivers all have their headwaters in the forest. All of the large mammals indigenous to the area before white settlers moved in remain – bison, wolves, mountain lions, elk, moose, coyote, pronghorn and bighorn sheep, to name a few. Several endangered and threatened species live in the forest and 355 species of birds have been spotted here (including bald eagles, trumpeter swans, sandhill cranes and hawks). It is an area of superlatives.
While your horses might not appreciate, or even notice, any of these superlatives, they will free you up to. With nothing on your back and not needing to watch your own steps, you can look up at the mountains and glaciers and out at the lakes, animals and wildflower-covered meadows unencumbered. And sleep much more comfortably at night.
Since the BTNF is so large, we're breaking it down into smaller sections for you. Each has several outfitters permitted to do guided horsepacking trips within it. See you out
Cowgirl on the Trail Fred Pflughoft
on the trail!
Kemmerer Ranger District
The site of much fur trapping activity in the 1800s, the Kemmerer area includes much of the Salt River and Wyoming Mountain ranges. The 260 miles of maintained trails in the area are all closed to motorized vehicles; lucky for you, the horsepower you want to use is not excluded. In the 1840s, as more and more people emigrated West, wagon trails and cutoffs popped up across the Green River basin, which this area includes. This was a tough area to travel through back then however, and many emigrants died. Some of their gravesites, along with names carved into trees along the trail, remain. A good horsepack outfitter should be able to point some of these out to you.
Greys River/Big Piney Ranger Districts
The southwestern part of the BTNF, this is also one of the least visited. Most people who do make it here come for all or part of the 75-mile long Wyoming Range National Recreation Trail. Much of the trail is above 9,000 feet in elevation, making it even easier for you to let the horses take over.
Pinedale Ranger District
This area includes the entirety of the Wind Rivers, from the busy (relatively speaking) Big Sandy trailhead in the south to the won't-see-another-soul-for-days Highline Trail that runs along the range's crest (and, because of several super-steep mountain passes, isn't suitable for horses the entire way … sections can be horsepacked though). If you're looking to combine horsepacking with backcountry fishing or climbing, this is, without a doubt, the area to head into. While horses are known to scare away bears – horses are generally foreign to bears and, because of this, bears usually stay away from camps with horses in them – they don't do the same for bugs however. If you're booking a horsepacking trip into the Winds before the third week of August, make sure to ask about mosquitoes and flies in the specific area you're looking to go into. Some areas are bug free, but others have mosquitoes capable of carrying you away. Little is worse than sitting on the back of a horse swatting at biting bugs all day.
Teton Division
Containing the Gros Ventre Mountains and bordering much of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, the Teton Division of the BTNF is the big and bold child of this forest, getting more visitors than all of the other areas combined. Ride into the Gros Ventre Mountains outside of Kelly and look out across the valley at the Tetons. Check out the Gros Ventre Landslide – one of the largest readily visible landslides on earth. Hunt for shed elk antlers (the National Elk Refuge borders the BTNF here and, while it is illegal to remove shed antlers from the refuge, it is not illegal if you find them in the BTNF). Ride into the spot believed to be the furthest from a road in the Lower 48 states – in the Thorofare region around the forest's border with Yellowstone. “Tickle” fish from clear streams right into your creel (or frying pan).
For permitted outfitters in each of these areas, log on to www.fs.fed.us/r4/btnf/. Happy horsepacking!
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