Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
NOLS AND THE WIND RIVER RANGE
In 1965, one year after the Wilderness Act had passed, an Outward Bound instructor
named Paul Petzoldt founded the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) in
Sinks Canyon. Having spent much of his youth in the Tetons and the Wind River
Range, much of which was not even mapped, Petzoldt created a school specifically
to train outdoor leaders, educators, and conservationists. That year, a small group of
male NOLS students spent a full month in the Wind River Range.
Within a year, female students were admitted to NOLS for the 30-day outdoor
leadership training in the Winds, and by 1970, more than 750 students enrolled in
summer courses. NOLS started branching out in the 1970s with programs (and even-
tually bases) in Alaska, East Africa, Mexico, Idaho, and Washington's Northern Cas-
cades. Still, the school never lost touch with Wyoming and the Winds, and in 2002
an impressive
world headquarters
(284 Lincoln St., Lander, 307/332-5300 or 800/
710-6657,
www.nols.edu
)
was completed in Lander.
So what are these mountains that gave rise to the one of the world's most es-
teemed wilderness education programs?
The Wind River Range cuts through Wyoming with 100 miles of jagged peaks,
crystalline lakes, boulder-strewn meadows, two national forests, and three pristine
wilderness areas. The range has 48 summits topping 12,000 feet, 8 summits above
13,500 feet, and seven of the largest glaciers in the Lower 48. At 13,804 feet, Gannett
Peak is the crown of this magnificent range and the highest peak in the state. The
Cirque of the Towers, 10 miles into the Bridger Wilderness at the southern end of
the range, offers some of the most dramatically scenic hiking in the Lower 48, and
plenty of technical rock climbing. The Winds are bisected by the Continental Divide
to form three major drainages for the Columbia River, the Colorado River, and the
Missouri River.
The area has long been a favorite backpacking destination for the adventurous,
and access is possible from both the east and west sides. In addition to the Continent-
al Divide Trail, which traverses the range from South Pass to Union Pass on its way
between Canada and Mexico, there are hundreds of miles of hiking trails crisscross-
ing the Winds. Among the more popular trailheads are Big Sandy, Boulder Creek,
Elkhart Park, and Green River Lakes. For more solitude, try some of the low-use
trailheads like Burnt Lake, Half Moon Lake, and Meadow Lake.
