Noteworthy Green River Lake campground, Bridger NF (WY)
Have you noticed how the condition of the road leading to a campground is inversely proportional to what you find at that campground? Green River Lake campground in the Bridger National Forest, at the end of Forest Route 650, confirms this hypothesis.
The Forest Service says it’s one-and-a-half hours to Green River Lake campground from Pinedale, WY. It will take all of this plus a bit more. About half the distance is on paved roadway, but don’t get too comfortable. Soon the route becomes one of those indelible forest roads that makes women wish for a sports bra and men wonder if their kidneys will require medical attention. At about mid-point, the roadway makes a long sweeping curve up a rise. Here is an opportunity to take a break and enjoy the view of the meandering Green River. Below anglers cast for trout and canoeists challenge stretches of rapids separating calm water while tall golden grass ripples in the warm breeze.
Just beyond this beautiful visita is an elk winter feeding area. In summertime, however, there are only cattle here. The elk’s winter feed is stored safely inside the red roofed structures at the meadow’s edge. At the northern fence line, the glacier-carved peaks of the Bridger Wilderness appear. With the sight of Big Sheep, Battleship, Squaretop, and Osborn mountains you almost forget the bruising of yet another stretch of the washboard Route 650.
Just when the body screams, “Enough!”, the campground’s sign comes into view. A right hand turn and you have made it!
Fancy vault toilet in Green River Lake CG
The campground is composed of two unnamed loops on a rise above the larger of the two Green River Lakes. (The smaller Green River Lake is tucked back out of sight in the Bridger Wilderness.) Although only one or two sites offer a partial view of the Lake, most are well shaded, nicely spaced, and offer some privacy. The other loop is set away from the lake and has suffered the culling of numerous “sick” trees which means more open sites with less privacy. The whole campground was renovated and is slowly recovering its “natural” appearance. One feature of the renovation is new vaults – they appear as mini-log cabins. Another improvement are picnic tables made from local Lodgepole pines. Both features are reminiscent of the Civilian Conservation Corps’ work in the 1930s – nice work by the Forest Service.
Below the campground and adjacent to an extremely primitive boat ramp is the former headquarters for the Gannett Peak Guest Ranch. Once a very exclusive Guest Ranch, the cabin is now the residence for the campground host. Several of the Ranch’s old-outbuildings can be found around the area and add to the picturesque beauty of Green River Lake campground.
The calm surface of the Green River Lake reflects the towering rugged beauty of the Bridger Wilderness. The lake mirror surface is disturbed only by the dipping paddle of a canoeist and a duck as it glides by. The beauty, splendor, and a powerful sense of tranquility in the image is awe-inspiring.
For hikers, Bridger Wilderness beckons. Two trails lead into the Wilderness from Green River Lake campground: Highline and Lakeshore. Lakeshore follows the eastern shoreline through a dense stand of conifers. The Highline trail follows the gentle curves of the sagebrush-covered western shore. Both lead to the smaller Green River Lake, and from there, further into the Wilderness. (Contact the Bridger National Forest’s Pinedale District Ranger Office for maps, information and conditions.)
One of two trails out of the CG into the Wilderness.
The magnificent splendor found in and around Green River Lake campground heals all the “bumps and bruises” from the ride in. The beauty of Square Top Mountain, a benevolent guardian of the Green River’s headwaters, will ease the aches and pains. The profile of Bridge Wilderness recalls images of Yosemite. However, the rough and rugged Forest Route 650 limits visitors to Green River Lake campground to much smaller numbers. Sipping hot cocoa by a campfire, gazing at the silhouettes of Bridger Wilderness against a star-studded night sky makes you wonder if there is any other roadway as rough of Forest Route 650 and what delights they might lead to.
Click on campground name for detailed description of Green River Lake campground.
