Wind River Backpacking: Knapsack Col and Titcomb Basin Loop (4 Days)

Wyoming’s Wind River Range is known for incredible alpine scenery, so obviously it’s been on my wishlist for years. This summer I finally made it out there for a four day backpacking trip and am happy to say it’s every bit as impressive as expected!

We originally planned a through hike of the Wind River High Route, but schedule constraints made the full 7-8 days impossible. Instead we compromised with this shorter loop over one of the High Route’s most impressive passes. It was a great taste of the High Route and definitely leaves me wanting more.

This route is challenging in ways beyond the purely physical, and I don’t recommend it to every backpacker. You should be in good shape, carrying a light load, and competent at picking your way up and down steep rocky slopes without a clear trail. Sound fun? Read on! :)

Route

I created this route in GaiaGPS:

Important: between Peak Lake and Titcomb Lakes the track is not exact. Here you should look for use trails, cairns, and the safest path of least resistance as you cross Knapsack Col.

The route heads out from Eklhart Park, one of the main gateways into the Winds, down and immediately back up nearly 2000 feet of elevation. From there we worked our way deeper into the Bridger Wilderness, eventually crossing the CDT into the most scenic part of the Winds.

After diverging from the CDT the trail climbs multiple shorter passes and leaves treeline before tackling the big one: Knapsack Col. Unless you’re super-fit and traveling super light, leave yourself a full day to get from Cube Rock Pass to Titcomb Basin! It’s challenging, engaging, and amazingly scenic.

From Titcomb Basin the hike out gradually decreases in gorgeousness, passing numerous alpine lakes and, most likely, tons of other backpackers on the way back to Elkhart Park Trailhead.

Which Direction?

I chose clockwise for this loop because I wanted to get the big descent and climb out of Fremont Creek canyon over with early. Though this section might have been physically easier on day 4 with a lighter pack, I think it was mentally easier on day 1.

The other big factor is Knapsack Col. I felt the west side was more straightforward and easier to ascend, and the steeper east side was more intimidating. I was glad to have gone the direction we did (from the west).

That said, the east side holds snow much longer into the summer. If there’s any question whether the pass “goes” for your skillset given the amount of snow remaining, best to hit it from the east so you’ll know earlier if you have to turn around.

Planning Info

Water: Plenty everywhere. Definitely filter it.

Permits: None for now, but the area is popular and in danger of being over-loved, so please Leave No Trace.

Weather: Be ready for anything. Afternoon thunderstorms can be a daily occurrence, so plan to be down from high spots by 2pm at the very latest. Cold heavy rain, strong wind, and even hail are common in the Winds during summer, so carry reliable clothing and shelter.

Bears: Both black and grizzlies. We carried bear spray, used Ursacks, and practiced careful cooking and food storage techniques. A bear canister isn’t a bad idea if you have one.

Bugs: Mosquitoes are said to be awful in the Winds. By end of July we didn’t find them too bad, nothing a bit of bug repellent couldn’t fix, but we had pre-treated our clothes with Permethrin spray.

Navigation: Since part of this route is off-trail and quite remote, navigation is especially important. We each had a GPX track and maps downloaded to GaiaGPS on our phones. We also carried paper maps printed from the Alan / Dixon WRHR description and a National Geographic map of the Wind River Range for the big picture.

Season: July – September depending on the year (we hiked in early August). The snow on the east side of Knapsack Col can linger and make the descent more complicated and dangerous. If you don’t have the skills for it, wait until at least mid-July on a typical snow year (later in some years).

Trailhead: This loop conveniently starts and ends at Elkhart Park trailhead, which has a large parking area (no fee) and pit toilet. The road is doable in any vehicle.

Must-Know About This Route

This is not a typical backpacking route. The section from below Cube Rock Pass to Upper Titcomb Lake requires navigating steep slopes and scrambling over big rocks with your full pack weight. You’ll need routefinding skills, awareness of mountain weather patterns, a bit of a head for heights (no high-consequence exposure but definitely some steep slopes) and overall good judgment.

That said, it’s relatively tame by “high route” standards, meaning there are use trails and cairns even through the off-trail sections (but you need to know where and how to look for them).

During this trip I learned that the Winds are a “hike in hike out” kind of place. The scenic beauty is very unevenly distributed on this loop. You’ll spend at least a day getting to the good stuff (east of the CDT) and a day getting back out. I’d recommend planning fewer miles per day while you’re in the heart of the Winds so you can make the most of your efforts to get there.

Itinerary and Trip Notes

Itinerary:

• 9.5 miles, Elkhart Park Trailhead to Trapper Lake
• 10 miles, Trapper Lake to last trees before Cube Rock Pass / Peak Lake
• 9 miles, before Cube Rock Pass to Lower Titcomb Lake (over Knapsack Col)
• 14.5 miles, Lower Titcomb Lake to Elkhart Park Trailhead

What I would do differently in hindsight: I wish we’d camped at Peak Lake on night 2. It’s more scenic and would have made day 3, which was slow and challenging, a bit easier. But a thunderstorm rolled in as we were ascending to Cube Rock Pass and we didn’t know if Peak Lake would feel too exposed, so we camped early in the last stand of trees before the pass. We did enjoy being cozy and a bit more sheltered that night while thunder rumbled, but I think Peak Lake would have been fine too.

Day 1: 9.5 miles, Elkhart Park Trailhead to Trapper Lake

It was an odd feeling to start a backpacking trip with 2000 feet of downhill, but that’s what we did as we hiked down to Long Lake. The trail was rough and rocky but passed relatively fast on fresh legs. Long Lake, at the bottom, would have made a lovely spot to camp; we took our lunch break there and continued on.

The climb out was a bit of a grind, but doable. Signs and some maps say the trail is not maintained, but we found it to be fine. The trail then meandered through rolling forest and before we knew it, we were making camp on the shore of Trapper Lake. This day was very manageable overall, even with our mid-morning start.

Day 2: 10 miles, Trapper Lake to last trees before Cube Rock Pass / Peak Lake

Day 2 started with more meandering forest trail and alpine lakes. Joining the CDT we turned north and enjoyed a few miles of downhill while rain threatened in the distance.

Finally we turned east on slightly fainter trail toward Vista Pass and Cube Rock Pass. Some maps show this as an unmaintained trail, others show it as no trail at all, but in fact the trail is there and easy to follow.

The sky darkened during our final climb to Cube Rock Pass. Just as we rounded a corner and saw the full length of the climb ahead – nothing but talus and boulders above treeline – the thunder began. We still had plenty of daylight but made the decision to scurry back down to treeline to wait out the storm.

By the time the storm passed, we were unsure whether to take the weather window and climb to Peak Lake (thunderstorms were forecast for overnight and we didn’t know if we’d find any sheltered campsites) or stay put in our cozy little tree fort. Ultimately we chose to stay below treeline for a lower-stress night.

As lightning flashed on the walls of our tent around midnight, we felt good about our choice. However it almost set us up for an even riskier encounter with storms on day 3. In hindsight there were some reasonably sheltered campsites at Peak Lake and I wish we’d camped there instead.

Day 3: 9 miles, before Cube Rock Pass to Lower Titcomb Lake (over Knapsack Col)

The big day! We woke early, knowing Knapsack Col lay ahead and wanting to get over before risk of thunderstorms. My goal was to be at the top by noon, and as we started scrambling over the boulders toward Cube Rock Pass I already knew it was going to be close.

There’s a decent trail to Cube Rock Pass and Dale Lake, though you’d never guess it from looking up at the pile of talus. Stay high on the left side (in the ascending direction) of the gully and look for the faint use trails between sections of rock.

At Peak Lake we passed a few semi-sheltered campsites in the scrubby little trees, and wished we had camped here instead. We picked our way around the lake to the left (it looks like you can’t get around but you actually can) and started the gradual ascent. We found use trails and cairns most of the way, though it did take some work to avoid getting off track.

At the base of the big climb we looked up at the looming pass and tried to choose our line. We decided to head for the more solid rock on the left side of the main talus-filled gully. Sure enough, as we got closer we found cairns and faint trails leading exactly where we’d intended to go. The sky was blue and clear as we plodded slowly upward.

The climb went a bit faster than expected and we reached the top just after 12pm. Clouds were starting to gather, and we wasted no time heading down the other side. Only problem was, the east side seemed even steeper and rockier than the west. We felt a bit nervous about the loose rocks and didn’t trust the lingering melted-out snowfield. Gradually we picked our way down the left side of the gully in rough switchbacks, heading for where the rocks looked most solid and avoiding the slipperiest scree slides.

At the bottom we stayed left of the snowfield, not trusting its edges to hold us. This meant scrambling over refrigerator-sized rocks. In places I handed a pack down and did a couple legit bouldering moves. We made it eventually, but it was slow.

The rest of the descent was straightforward but still took time due to constant rocks and uneven ground underfoot. The brewing storm chased us all the way down to Upper Titcomb Lake, where we found shelter behind a rock and threw up our little tarp just in time. We spent the next 2 hours huddled inside, holding onto the poles for stability and waiting out a gnarly thunder and hail storm.

Around 5pm the storm turned to a drizzle and we decided to keep moving, hoping to shorten our final day by a couple miles. It was a good decision; around 6:30pm the skies cleared and we found a lovely campsite near the outlet of Lower Titcomb Lake.

Titcomb Basin is a popular camping location and I can see why; it’s staggeringly scenic. But be aware that it’s also known for strong wind! Choose a campsite sheltered by rocks if you can.

Day 4: 14.5 miles, Lower Titcomb Lake to Elkhart Park Trailhead

It wasn’t until the morning of day 4 that I realized I was tired from day 3. My body had handled it well but was apparently running on adrenaline for a little too long. Still, we made steady progress all day and reached our car by around 5pm.

Leaving Titcomb Basin we reluctantly turned our backs on the most stunning section of the trip. Ahead lay a number of still very scenic lakes as we headed toward the CDT and crossed it. The trails grew increasingly crowded with other backpackers, and the scenery… Well, we were totally spoiled by the previous day, because the scenery at this point was merely nice.

The final hike out on Pole Creek Trail was a bit of a grind, thankfully gradual downhill but rocky and muddy in places.

Overall this was an interesting route, very high-contrast in terms of both difficulty and scenery. The scramble over the pass is epic, as is the scenery of the high Winds. On the other hand, the hike in and out is a bit long and tedious. I’d suggest spending as much time as possible in the most scenic section east of the CDT, because it’s truly some of the most impressive alpine terrain in the US.

More Backpacking Resources

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• Backpacking Nevada’s Ruby Crest Traverse
• Lightweight Backpacking for Beginners
• Colorado Trail vs. John Muir Trail: Two Epic Hikes Compared

Or visit the backpacking section for lots more.