Gannett Peak: Cold Springs approach

Dates: June – September
Start: Crowheart – Cold Springs, ~9,500’
End: Crowheart – Cold Springs
Distance: ~25 miles
Altitude gain and loss: ~5,000’ each way
Trip Duration: 4-5 day options

Approach and Ascent Route:
The Gannet Peak guided climb with MAG begins in the tiny town of Crowheart, Wyoming (pop. 141) on the Wind River Reservation (Shoshone and Arapaho tribes). The only establishment is a small general store that has basic grocery amenities as well as native crafts, fishing tackle, ceramics, etc. We begin our journey at this store in order to arrange permission and transport across the reservation.

DAY 1: Crowheart – Cold Springs – Scenic Pass – Echo Lake
Meet at 7:00 am with your bags fully packed and ready to go! After a gear check and food assessment, we meet with our local Shoshone or Arapaho contacts to purchase permits and transport. We load up for a ride across the reservation on rugged dirt roads. This ride gains us roughly 1,000’ to our starting point at Cold Springs trailhead (~9500’). We bid farewell to our driver until the day we exit this remote corner of the Wind River Range. Our approach to Gannett begins by way of faint to non-existent trails that meander in and out of coniferous forests and beautiful high alpine meadows. At times, the trail disappears entirely only to reappear, providing testament to the lack of foot traffic that takes this route. Elk herds are often seen as we approach the aptly named “Scenic Pass” at 11,400’, our high point for the day. Once at the pass, we get commanding views of the Wind River Mountains and our first glimpse of our objective – Gannett Peak. From this point, our hike is mostly a contoured traverse to arrive at Camp 1 near Echo Lake (6 miles, 2,000’ of gain).

Day 1: View of Gannett Peak and Echo Lake from Camp I

DAY 2: Echo Lake – Dinwoody Glacier
After a delicious breakfast, we start our morning with a descent down the Ink Wells trail, passing Echo Lake to join the Dinwoody Trail. As we drop down to Dinwoody, we are rewarded with commanding views of Gannett Peak’s north face and the post-card-worthy vibrant green meadows and aqua blue meandering waterways below (see photo). Once in the meadows, we follow the trail for several miles, fording streams to make our way toward Gannett Peak. The meadows soon close out and we are back in the forest, connecting faint trails with stream crossings. We slowly gain altitude leaving the forests and tree line below in exchange for the alpine arena that contains Gannett Peak. Here we establish Camp 2 amidst exposed granite walls, jutting alpine ridges, glacially polished streambeds, and alpine flowers on the border of the terminal moraine of Gannett Peak’s Dinwoody Glacier (5 miles, 1,000’ of gain).

Day 2: Strolling along near Dinwoody Creek and adjoining stream with Gannett Peak in distant storm.

DAY 3: Dinwoody Glacier – Gannett Peak – Dinwoody Glacier
An alpine start and hiking by headlamp allows us to arrive at the east face of Gannett Peak around sunrise. With clear skies, this entire face glows a gorgeous orange (see photos). From here we see our ascent route up the infamous “Goose Neck” and the snowfields above. We rope up as the slopes steepen and travel as a rope team, crossing the bergschrund and continuing up steep snow slopes to gain the southeast/south ridge. We continue scrambling on exposed rock, eventually regaining the snowy south ridge with magnificent exposure on both sides. From here it is a steady climb up to Gannett Peak’s lofty summit. This route involves technical snow climbing, a bergschrund crossing, rock scrambling over exposed terrain, and steep snow travel as a rope team. Your guide will utilize ropes, pickets, rock protection, and belays whenever necessary. With good fitness, determination, and weather, we arrive at the summit of Gannett Peak, which offers incredible views of the Wind River Range, The Tetons, and Granite Peak (among other mountains). We enjoy the summit briefly prior to embarking on the other half of our climb, the descent. Back at camp, we rest for an hour, take our boots off, hydrate, eat a snack, and then pack up and bump camp back down to the gorgeous Floyd Meadows. If climbers are too exhausted, we have the option to stay one more night at high camp  (4-8 miles depending on camp location, +/- 2,000’).

Summit Day: The initial steep section on Gannett Peak’s east slopes

DAY 4: Dinwoody Glacier or Floyd Meadows – Cold Springs
No pre-dawn start today! We enjoy the rising sun as we sip our hot morning beverages. We cross Floyd Meadows and ascend back up to the Echo Lake area. Typically, we stop for lunch where we camped on night 1 earlier in the trip. From here, we traverse back up and over Scenic Pass, where we enjoy our last views of Gannett Peak. We then descend back to Cold Springs to camp on the edge of where the pine forests meet the alpine meadows. As energy allows, we often enjoy a fire as we kick back on our last night of the trip.

High Camp: Hiking just 15 minutes from our high camp after a successful summit on Gannett Peak

DAY 5: Cold Springs – Crowheart
We take this day to sleep in – no rush! We have breakfast overlooking the sun rising over the Crowheart Butte some 3,000′ below.  We meet our native transport driver at the Cold Springs trailhead late morning to allow an early afternoon arrival back in Crowheart. This gives all travelers time to drive in daylight to their flights home (or where ever your next destination may be!) We typically stash some water and snacks to enjoy on our slow ride back down to “civilization.”

TRAVEL
One way or another, you will need to drive to Crowheart, WY. This is where you will meet your guides and leave your vehicle for the duration of the trip. Flying into Riverton (WY), Lander (WY), or Jackson Hole (WY) are the closest airports. Other larger airports include those in Bozeman (MT) and Billings (MT) or Denver (CO). Plan on having your own local transportation; it’s a good idea to reserve rental cars as early as possible.

Transport from Crowheart, WY (where you meet your guides) to the Cold Springs Trailhead is provided by Ramona Oneal of Crow Heart.

ACCOMMODATIONS
There are both camping and motel options for the nights before and after trips in nearby Dubois and Riverton. There are also numerous places to camp in the Shoshone National Forest and the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Visit the National Forest Service websites to locate sites nearest to Crowheart.

AMENITIES
We will provide all meals other than drink mixes and lunches/snacks. Plan your own snacks ahead of time, and consider doubling that ration for our summit day. All supplies should be purchased before the trip as supplies are very limited in Crowheart. If you have dietary restrictions, allergies, or preferences please let us know well in advance of your trip’s starting date. Porters are available upon request – please inquire for details. Cell phones have patchy (if any) coverage up high. Most drinking water needs to be treated, either with iodine pills or filters. We practice Leave No Trace camping, hiking, and climbing techniques to leave the Shoshone National Forest as pristine as we found it, and we expect the same from all those who climb with us.

BATHROOM in the WILDERNESS: Leave No Trace (LNT)
Bring at least two ziplock bags to pack out all toilet paper used. There is nothing more disgusting (or a quicker way to ruin a great wilderness experience) than finding a pile of someone’s used toilet paper. Don’t be that person – pack it in and pack it out.

WEATHER & CLIMATE
Staying extremely well hydrated is key to one’s success when exerting at altitude. If possible, plan to arrive a few days early and do some hiking above 8-9000’ in many of the beautiful nearby mountain ranges to acclimatize. If you have had problems at altitude before, please let us know prior to your trip and consult with your physician before you come.

The weather is variable at best – nights are cool while the days can warm up substantially, even in the alpine environment. Wind, sleet, rain, hail, even summer snow showers may be encountered; afternoon thunderstorms are fairly predictable.

EQUIPMENT
See our summer equipment list for your clothing and equipment lists. Your gear should be light and in good repair – everything we bring will be on our backs. Minimize luxury items — which saves pounds on your back! The best luxury is a light pack! Many climbers take the option to hire a porter. Porters can carry 20-30lbs each.

TECHNICAL SKILLS & CONDITIONING:
You should be physically able to travel up to 8 miles a day with up to 2,500′ of gain for 5 days in a row with a 40-60 pound pack. Basic snow travel skills are helpful but not necessary for an ascent of Gannett Peak. We can cover these skill sets as needed during our trip. Participants will become familiar with rope handling, traveling as a rope team, and technical gear use.

Training is worth it! Ask us about our training programs. The better shape you are in, the more you will enjoy your time in the mountains. Gannett is a big peak that packs a big punch. Heavy packs, altitude, and the uneven terrain will fatigue even the seasoned climber. Spending adequate time training with a pack and hiking for many hours is the ideal training for this trip.

EQUIPMENT: see our multi-day gear list

PORTERS and The Road to Success:
Be prepared to carry a pack between 40-60 lbs. depending on the weight of your personal gear. Porters are strongly recommended and cost an additional $300/day. This allows participants to save energy on the way in and the way out so they can focus on the climb. A solid guide can show you the way, keep things safe, and make it fun. However, there are several variables that can lead to failure for our climb. The most common are bad weather, inadequate training, and lack of fitness for the climb. To compensate for poor weather, we can add on an extra “weather day.” For technical skills, we offer our “Training Day.” We also offer porters to save your energy, but the training is all on the participant. Success in the mountains begins with the first plan, and Gannett Peak is no exception.

Included:

• Experienced climbing guides
• Tents
• Group cookware, fuel, and all meals (except for day food – lunches and snacks)
• Water purification
• All group and personal technical climbing gear (ropes, harnesses, crampons, helmets)

Not Included:

• Transport to and from Crowheart (the location where you meet your guides)
• Everything on our “Equipment List”
• Day food (lunches/snacks)
• Transport and reservation fees for Wind River Reservation ($345/participant). This is paid the day we meet up directly to the reservation.
• Transport and reservation fees for your guide (divided among the group).

NOTE:  This is still the cheapest option as the trip from the reservation is 1-2 days shorter than other approaches, saving participants money for guide fees (~$370-$550/day), drive time, missed work, etc.