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Seneca Lake Trail

Pinedale, Wyoming

5.0/5
based on 2 reviews

Details

Distance

18.4 miles

Elevation Gain

2280 ft

Route Type

Out-and-Back

Description

Added by Andrew Slaton

This hike has amazing views, a really beautiful trail and it's relative easy. This is the gateway to the Titcomb Basin and high country.

The Wind River Range is one of the best backpacking + climbing wildernesses in the lower 48. Seneca Lake is right at the beginning of some of the most spectacular high alpine climbing and backpacking routes.

From the Elkhart trailhead parking lot, take the Pole Creek Trail directly adjacent to the restroom. You will follow this trail for approximately 4.5 miles through lodgepole pine forests and beautiful alpine parks, until you hit photographer's point, a really great spot. See Hike To Photographer's Point.

Once you've taken all the photos you need, continue on about a mile to Eklund Lake. This is a great little lake to camp if you want solitude. I never see people there, as most people are heading to Seneca and beyond.

Continue on the trail down valleys and up steep hillsides another 3 miles or so. Great views of Fremont peak and the surrounding peaks of the Winds await.

Summer is very busy and buggy, so be sure to bring lots of spray and maybe even face netting. All in all, the hike is only 9 miles one-way and about 2000 feet elevation gain.

Be advised that the Winds now have Grizzlies, so hike in groups, make noise, and carry bear protection. Also, many outfitters frequent this trail, so be courteous and move off the trail on the uphill side when horses and mules are passing!

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Features

Fitness
Chillin
Camping
Fishing
Photography
Backpacking
Hiking
Dog Friendly
Easy Parking
Forest
Groups
Lake
Romantic
Scenic
Waterfall
Wildflowers
Wildlife
Swimming Hole

Reviews

Seneca Lake is a great place to camp if you don't feel you can make it all the way to Island Lake.

This is the perfect spot to pitch your tent on the way back from Titcomb Basin. We found stunning spots high above the lake looking over Fremont Peak and a pair of osprey fishing.

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

Climb Fremont Peak via Southeast Buttress

Backpack to Titcomb Basin and Summit Gannett Peak

Elbow Lake in the Wind River Range

Photographers Point via Pole Creek Trail

Backpack and Fly Fish the Wind River Range

Backpack the Pole Creek Trail, Wind River Range

Let Adventure be your Destination in Wyoming

Wyoming’s wide-open spaces make it easy to get off the grid and on a trail, through a park, into a forest, up a mountain or down a river. During your journey through Wyoming’s Black to Yellow Region, discover geologic marvels, dense evergreen forests and sprawling prairielands.

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