Hiking Trails
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Carbon County, Wyoming Travel & COVID-19
Featured Hikes
Medicine Bow Peak Trail
Directions:
Take Wyoming Highway 130/230 south of Saratoga approximately 7.5 miles. Turn onto Wyoming Highway 130 drive east for approximately 26.5 miles to the Lake Marie Parking Area. The trailhead is located in the Lake Marie parking area.
Description:
The Medicine Bow Peak trail is very steep and follows switchbacks up the highest points on the Snowy Range. It is not recommended to hike this trail after 3:00 pm due to the chance of lightning. Storms are known to blow in unexpectedly, be prepared! The trail reaches the summit of Medicine Bow Peak before it descends down to meet the Lakes trail.
Elevation: 10,480 feet
Recommended Season: July-October
Skill Level: Difficult
Length of Trail: 5.3 Miles / 8.5 Km
The Lakes Trail
Directions:
Take Wyoming Highway 130/230 south of Saratoga approximately 7.5 miles. Turn onto Wyoming Highway 130, drive east for approximately 27 miles to the Mirror Lake Picnic Area. The trailhead is located on the north end of the picnic area. When traveling east on highway 130, the picnic area is located approximately 0.5 miles past the Lake Marie Parking area.
Description: The Lakes trail connects to the Medicine Bow Peak trail. It is not recommended to hike this trail after 3:00 pm due to the chance of lightning. Storms are known to blow in unexpectedly, be prepared! The Lakes trail winds through meadows and sparse Engleman spruce and Limber pine forest. Hikers will come to Mirror Lake and Lookout Lake.
Elevation: 11,800 feet
Recommended Season: July-October
Skill Level: Easy
Length of Trail: 1.8 Miles / 2.9 Km
Hiking the Continental Divide Trail
Carbon County Wyoming has two Gateway Communities, check out our page on hiking the CDT!
Enjoy Natural Spaces Responsibly
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Please wash your hands, cover coughs & sneezes and stay home when you're ill.
CAREFUL
Wear a mask or face covering, practice social distancing & avoid crowded places.
Get Your Hike On!
Grab your gear and head out on one of our hiking trails for some exciting western adventure. Hiking is one of the best ways to spot wildlife. Visit mountain lakes, crystal clear streams and secret fishing holes. Wyoming’s terrain can be rough and the weather can change fast so make sure that while you enjoy our sweeping natural landscape you come prepared with plenty of water, warm clothes, a compass and a topographic map.
Popular Hikes
Roaring Fork Trail
Directions: From Highway 130 turn onto National Forest System Road (NFSR) 100 just after the Forest Boundary. Drive for about 9 miles until you come to the intersection with NFSR 205, turn east (right) on to the 205 road. Travel for about one mile until the road ends.
Description: Trail winds through mixed conifer and aspen forests, through meadows and across streams. The trail is gradually uphill until you reach the wilderness boundary.
Elevation: 9,920 feet
Recommended Season: June-October
Skill Level: Easy
Length of Trail: 7.9 Miles / 12.7 Km
Baby Lake Trail
Directions: Drive 18 miles west of Encampment on Wyoming Highway 70. Turn south onto National Forest System Road (NFSR) 811. The 811 road forks, take the left fork. The trail head is located about 0.02 miles up the 811 road.
Description: The trail winds through mixed conifer and aspen forests through meadows and across streams in the Huston Park Wilderness area. The trail does not go to Baby Lake but follows Baby Creek and passes many marshes and ponds and is very wet in early summer. The trail is a steep climb uphill from the Baby Lake trail head until you reach the Continental Divide. The trail is marked with rock cairns and tree blazes. These are sometimes difficult to see, always carry a topographic map and be prepared for the wilderness challenge.
Elevation: 10,000 feet
Recommended Season: June-October
Skill Level: Moderate
Length of Trail: 4.7 Miles / 7.6 Km
Huston Park
Description: Huston Park Wilderness rises beyond 10,500 feet and contains alpine bogs and stands of lodgepole pine, spruce, fir, and aspen, interspersed with open parks and brushy meadows. The streams are small and their water drains into the Little Snake and North Platte Rivers. Some of the streams harbor trout that are there for the catching. Straddling the Continental Divide, this area includes 45.9 miles of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, at an average elevation of 9,750 feet. This section of the Divide Trail is called the Huston Park Trail, undeveloped and marked with rock cairns and blazed trees. Many views are panoramic and spectacular. The Baby Lake, Verde Mine, and Roaring Fork Trails offer side trips, but these pathways are also undeveloped and lack well-marked trailheads.
Elevation: 9,750 feet
Recommended Season: June-October
Skill Level: Difficult
Length of Trail: 45.9 Miles / 73.9 Km
Green Mountain Falls Trail
Directions: Drive west of Encampment for 6 miles on Wyoming State Highway 70. Turn onto National Forest System Road (NFSR) 550. Continue driving for another 2 miles until you reach NFSR 550.2H. Take the 550.2H road and drive approximately 1.5 to the trailhead, there are signs marking the way (this trailhead is also referred to as the North Fork trailhead). The 550.2H road is recommended for four-wheel drive and high clearance vehicles only.
Description: The trail winds through mixed conifer and aspen forests. The trail ends at the spectacular Green Mountain Falls. The Green Mountain Falls trail accesses the Huston Park Wilderness area
Elevation: 8,680 feet
Recommended Season: June-October
Skill Level: Easy
Length of Trail: 1.7 Miles / 2.7 Km
Campbell Lake Trail
Directions: From Highway 130 turn onto National Forest System Road (NFSR) 100 just after the Forest Boundary. Drive for about 9 miles until you come to the intersection with NFSR 205, turn east (right) on to the 205 road. Travel for about one mile until the road ends.
Description: The Campbell Lake trail passes through pine forests and open meadows on closed road number 205 and ends at Arrastre Lake where the road is again open to full size vehicles. A short side-trail leads to Campbell Lake. From the trail head the trail is steep and uphill for the first 1.5 miles.
Elevation: 10,240 feet
Recommended Season: June-October
Skill Level: Moderate
Length of Trail: 3.1 Miles / 4.9 Km
Bottle Creek Trail
Directions: Drive west of Encampment for approximately 8 miles on Wyoming State Highway 70. Go past the Forest Boundary to the large parking lot (on the west side of the highway) at the seasonal closure gate.
Description: The loop trails, which make up the Bottle Creek Trails, wind through aspen, lodgepole pine stands, and reclaimed clear-cuts. The trails provide a range of distances for hikers from the South Brush Creek Campground or for motorists needing to stretch their legs. The trails are maintained to provide cross-country skiing and snow shoeing opportunities in the winter. Restroom facilities are available at the Bottle Creek campground.
Elevation: 8,760 feet
Recommended Season: June-October
Skill Level: Difficult
Length of Trail: 8.3 Miles / 13.4 Km
Encampment River Trail
Directions: To access the Commissary Park trailhead turn off of Wyoming State Highway 230 onto County Road 211. Drive for approximately 7 miles until you reach the Forest boundary. The road will change to National Forest System Road (NFSR) 409. Continue driving for another 6 miles until you reach NFSR 496. Take the 496 road and drive approximately 10 miles to the trailhead at Commissary Park. Be sure to make a right-hand turn where the road meets NFSR 80. The trailhead is located on the north side of the road.
Description: The trail winds through mixed conifer and aspen stands along the Encampment River. This trail travels through the Encampment River Wilderness area, please be aware of special wilderness regulations, carry topographic maps, and be prepared for the wilderness challenge.
Elevation: 8,360 feet
Recommended Season: June-October
Skill Level: Easy
Length of Trail: 2.8 Miles / 4.5 Km
Heart Lake Trail
Directions: Take Wyoming Highway 130/230 south of Saratoga approximately 7.5 miles. Turn onto Wyoming Highway 130 drive east for approximately 23 miles to National Forest System Road (NFSR) 200 (turn north, a left hand turn). Travel approximately one mile on NFSR 200 until you reach the junction with NFSR 103. Travel approximately three miles on NFSR 103 until you reach the trailhead near Dipper Lake. The Heart Lake trail branches off of the Dipper Lake trail. Hikers can also reach the Heart Lake trail from the Medicine Bow Peak trail. The Medicine Bow Peak trailhead is located off of Highway 130 at the Lake Marie Parking Area.
Description: The Heart Lake trail winds through meadows and sparse Engleman spruce and Limber pine forest. Hikers will come to Dipper Lake, Upper Long Lake, and Heart Lake. The Heart Lake trail also connects to the Medicine Bow Peak trail.
Elevation: 10,760 feet
Recommended Season: July-October
Skill Level: Moderate
Length of Trail: 0.3 Miles / 0.5 Km
Crater Lake Trail
Directions: From Wyoming Highway 130 drive east for about 14 miles to National Forest System Road (NFSR) 100. Drive on the 100 road for about 19 miles to the 101 road. Turn south (right) on the 101 road and drive for about 9 miles to NFSR 113. Turn north (left) and travel approximately 2 miles to the trailhead. The trailhead is approximately 2 miles north of the Deep Creek Campground.
Description: This trail travels along the north side of Stillwater Reservoir, a water impoundment completed in 1940. At 0.8 miles there is a registration/information board and the jct. with trail #1120. Please register and become familiar with posted information.
The trail turns north and reaches the Flat Tops Wilderness Boundary at mile 1.0. Continuing, you pass Little Causeway Lake at mile 1.6. From here you climb along and through talus slopes to the Bear River/ E. Fork of the Williams Fork watersheds divide at mile 2.3. A side trail makes a steep ascent to the Devils Causeway possible.
The trail descends quickly and reaches Causeway Lake at mile 5.7. At mile 7.0 is Round Lake and the jct. with trail #1116. From here, the trail descends, crosses and follows the E. Fork of the Williams Fork. Trail #1117 is intersected at mile 8.9. Further on, you re-cross the river and climb to the jct. with trail #1116 at mile 11.6. Heading down valley, trail 1172 is at mile 13.0, the Wilderness Boundary at mile 13.4, and the end of the trail at Pyramid Guard Station at mile 15.7.
Elevation: 9,220 feet
Recommended Season: June-October
Skill Level: Difficult
Length of Trail: 2 Miles / 3.2 Km
Pledge to Adventure Responsibly.
We’re all longing for space to be wild and free. Wyoming offers that safe haven for visitors. But it comes with a responsibility. We encourage all who visit to join us in caring for the health of our natural spaces, the wildness of the outdoors and the well-being of ourselves and our neighbors.
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Carbon County is a great place to rejuvenate your spirit! As you plan your visit view these helpful resources to help you plan a safe visit. Please stop the spread of coronavirus & travel responsibly.
Hiking in Carbon County Wyoming.
Some of the finest places in Carbon County can be accessed by hiking one of our hundreds of miles of hiking trails. Grab your gear and head out on one of our hiking trails for some exciting western adventure. Hiking is one of the best ways to spot wildlife. Visit mountain lakes, crystal clear streams and secret fishing holes. Get Your West On in Carbon County, Wyoming
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