Pinedale gave us some needed downtime before heading into the bigger national parks. We slowed down with lake time, Wind River views, shoreline walks, and a little small-town Wyoming charm. We kayaked from the campground on Fremont Lake, explored Half Moon Lake and the CCC Ponds, and visited the Museum of the Mountain Man. We also drove Skyline Drive for mountain views and finished with one of the more unusual dinners of the trip: pitchfork fondue.
Pick a stop to see its story and photos.
Fremont Lake is a long glacial lake immediately north of Pinedale, backed by the Wind River Range. Lakeside camping, paddling, fishing, and mountain views make it one of the area's main recreation stops.
The CCC Ponds form an easy network of waterside paths near town. Created from Pine Creek overflow in the 1930s, the ponds now provide accessible walking and productive habitat for shorebirds and songbirds.
The Museum of the Mountain Man explains the Rocky Mountain fur trade, the Green River Rendezvous, and the relationships among trappers and Native peoples. Exhibits cover period equipment, firearms, trade, and daily frontier life.
Half Moon Lake sits at the edge of the Wind River Range and offers quiet shoreline walking, fishing, boating, and mountain views. We followed an easy path near the water rather than treating it as a major hike.
Skyline Drive climbs from Pinedale toward the Wind River Range, with pullouts overlooking Fremont Lake and the surrounding peaks. It is an easy way to see the scale of the range without a backcountry hike.
Pitchfork Fondue is a seasonal outdoor dinner where steaks are skewered on a pitchfork and cooked in hot oil over a wood fire. The setup draws on Pinedale's western and Green River Rendezvous identity.
Fremont Lake is a long glacial lake immediately north of Pinedale, backed by the Wind River Range. Lakeside camping, paddling, fishing, and mountain views make it one of the area's main recreation stops.
The CCC Ponds form an easy network of waterside paths near town. Created from Pine Creek overflow in the 1930s, the ponds now provide accessible walking and productive habitat for shorebirds and songbirds.
The Museum of the Mountain Man explains the Rocky Mountain fur trade, the Green River Rendezvous, and the relationships among trappers and Native peoples. Exhibits cover period equipment, firearms, trade, and daily frontier life.
Half Moon Lake sits at the edge of the Wind River Range and offers quiet shoreline walking, fishing, boating, and mountain views. We followed an easy path near the water rather than treating it as a major hike.
Skyline Drive climbs from Pinedale toward the Wind River Range, with pullouts overlooking Fremont Lake and the surrounding peaks. It is an easy way to see the scale of the range without a backcountry hike.
Pitchfork Fondue is a seasonal outdoor dinner where steaks are skewered on a pitchfork and cooked in hot oil over a wood fire. The setup draws on Pinedale's western and Green River Rendezvous identity.
After leaving Flaming Gorge, we rolled into Pinedale, Wyoming and settled into our campsite along Fremont…
With a full day in Pinedale ahead of us, we started the morning with a peaceful walk around the CCC Ponds…
We started the morning back at the CCC Ponds near our campground. After the short stroll the day before, we…
We finally got the kayaks out on Fremont Lake, launching right from the campground for a peaceful paddle on…
