Population: Around 1,500
Elevation: 7,100 feet
Location: Western Wyoming, on the western flank of the Wind River Mountains

How Far From:
Jackson Hole-78 miles north (about 1-1/4 hours)
Yellowstone National Park-130 miles north (about 2 hours)
Rock Springs-100 miles south (about 1-1/2 hours)
Salt Lake City-237 southwest (about 4 hours)

Services

Lodging:
Cow Cabins cabins

Tours, Outfitting & Hunting:
Orvis/Two Rivers Emporium
Shoal Creek Outfitters hunting
Wagons Across Wyoming wagon trains
Wind River Trophy Hunts hunting

Pinedale Real Estate and Construction:
Alpine Estates
Andersen Brokers
Aspen Ridge Homesites
GM Construction
Jackson Hole Estates
Jackson Hole Realty
Robertson Land Company
Sotheby's International Realty

Skiing:
White Pine Pinedale Ski Area

Local Attractions:

• Museum of the Mountain Man - Home of Jim Bridger's rifle, fur trade & Plains Indian exhibits
• Rendezvous Meadows Golf Course - 18 hole designed 9 hole course
• Pinedale Entertainment Center - 2 movie theaters
• Outdoor Ice Hockey Rink - Youth & adult ice hockey, recreational skating
• Public Indoor Swimming Pool & Hot Tub - At the high school
• Public Tennis Courts & Baseball Diamonds;
• Wind River Mountains & Bridger Wilderness - 15 of Wyoming's 16 highest peaks
• Gannett Peak - Wyoming's highest peak 13,804'
• Cirque of the Towers - Hard rock technical climber's mecca & spectacular scenery
• Fremont Lake & Skyline Drive - Wyoming's 2nd largest lake & beautiful view of the Wind River Mountains
• Bridger-Teton National Forest - Hundreds of miles of trails, streams, and forest land with public campgrounds and trailhead access
• Green River & Green River Lakes - Fantastic fishing & miles of hiking trails
• Continental Divide Snowmobile Trail - Goes through Pinedale
• Continental Divide Mountain Biking Trail - Goes through Pinedale

Recreation:
Wilderness escapes, fishing, camping, backpacking & hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, golf, wildlife viewing, downhill skiing, x-country skiing, snowmobiling, ice fishing, ice hockey.

Most Wind River Mountain trailheads are located at 9,000 feet or above, with mountain elevations reaching to over 13,000 feet. There are 3 mountain ranges (Wind River, Gros Ventre & Wyoming Ranges) and 2 wilderness areas (Brider Wilderness and Gros Ventre Wilderness) within Sublette County and near Pinedale. The Green River and New Fork River have excellent trout fishing with many public access points. Approximately 80% of Sublette County is public land.

Lodging:
Pinedale Wyoming has a variety of establishments for overnight lodging. A Best Western and Super 8 are located on the west end of town and offer the most rooms, pools and hot tubs. A variety of smaller motels are located in the downtown area. The surrounding area has several Bed & Breakfasts, Guest Ranches & Lodges, and individual cabins available for rent.

Sublette County:
Created in 1921, is the newest county in Wyoming. The area is 4,876 square miles. The Wind River Mountains lie to the east, the Sawtooths and Gros Ventre to the north, and the Wyoming Range and Salt Rivers to the west. Over 80% of the land is public, mostly National Forest and BLM lands. Pinedale became the county seat in 1928.

Transportation:
The closest commercial airports are in Jackson (77 miles), Rock Springs (100 miles) and Salt Lake City (250 miles). The nearest railroad is in Rock Springs.

The local general aviation airport is Pinedale Wenz Field, located approximately 6 miles south of Pinedale adjacent to US Hwy 191. The runway is 7100' x 100', asphalt surface, with NDB approach, AWOSIII-P/T weather station. Elevation is 7080'. This field is suitable for larger corporate jets. Services include fuel, line service, aircraft maintenance, repair & inspection, transient hangar space, crew car, flight instruction, 24-hour availability.

Local public transportation shuttle services are offered by the Senior Citizen Center with advanced arrangement. Shuttle services from Rock Springs and Jackson airports to Pinedale, and to specific area & mountain locations, are available from The Great Outdoor Transportation Company through the Great Outdoor Shop in Pinedale. The Pinedale Cab Company also provides local taxi service and shuttles. There are no local car rental services, or commercial bus line access, in Pinedale. Cars can be rented from Jackson Hole, Rock Springs and Salt Lake City.

Weather:
Summer temperatures are usually in the low 80's with afternoon thunderstorms. Average rainfall is about 10" per year. The growing season is 55-60 days long. The average winter daytime temperature is about 15F. Temperatures can fall to -40F. Cold temperatures don't feel as cold due to the very low humidity. Average monthly snowfall from December - March is 12". It can snow any day of the year in Pinedale due to the high elevation (7,100 feet).

Wildlife:
Deer, antelope, moose, elk, black & grizzly bear, bald & golden eagles and osprey. Fish include Lake, Rainbow, Cutthroat, Brown and Brook trout, Kokanee Salmon, Mountain Whitefish, Graylings, and numerous other species.

Area History:
Sublette County is historically the homeland of the Shoshoni and Sheepeater Indians. Gros Ventre, Bannock and Crow tribes also lived and hunted in this area for centuries. From 1820-1840 the area was the home of mountain men, fur trappers and traders. The county was named after one of them, William Sublette. The area was the center of the fur trade era with beaver hides highly valued. A rendezvous was held near the Green River and involved wagon trains from St. Louis meeting with the mountain men to trade supplies, traps, powder, food and whiskey for the trapper's hides. The era ended in 1840 when the beaver hat went out of fashion and the demand for pelts halted.

In the late 1850's, the Lander Cut-off of the Oregon Trail was built from South Pass through Sublette County. Emigrants passed through the area, but did not stay until the last quarter of the 1800's. In the1890's cattlemen began to wintered their stock in the area's protected valleys. Then they settled by the creeks and rivers themselves. Ranching has been the primary economic factor in the area until recently. Now oil and natural gas in the southern half of the county produce the largest share of the county's revenue. These fields were developed in the 1920's and experienced booms in the 1950's and 1980's. Tourism and recreation are also now becoming a major business in the county.

Other Interesting Area Facts

Wildlife:
Elk, moose, deer, antelope, grizzly & black bear, mountain lion, wolves.
Fish: Rainbow, brook, golden, mackinaw, native cutthroat & brown trout, grayling.

Records:
Green River Lake: Brook trout, 9.69 lbs, 24.5"
Meadow Lake: Grayling, 2.36 lbs, 19.63"
Burnt Lake: Rainbow trout, 23 lbs, 25.5"
Native Lake: Cutthroat trout, 15 lbs, 32"
Cook's Lake: Golden trout, 11.25 lbs, 28" (this is a world record)

Interesting Facts:
-There isn't a stop light in the entire county.
-Over 80% of the county is public land (BLM, National Forest & State).
-Pinedale is the county seat for Sublette County.
-Sublette County has a little over 1% of Wyoming's total population.
-There are some 1,300 lakes, hundreds of miles of hiking trails & fishing streams in the Bridger

Wilderness:
-Gannett Peak, Wyoming's highest peak at 13,804 feet, is in the Bridger Wilderness.
-The largest active glacial fields in the continental US are in the Bridger-Teton National Forest.

Lake:
The second largest natural lake in Wyoming. Fremont Lake is 12 miles long and 1/2 mile wide. It is the 7th deepest lake in the country (696 feet). Fish up to the 40 lb. range can be found in Fremont Lake! It is one of the few deep lakes which has oxygenated water near its bottom due to the fact that temperature changes cause the water in the lake to turn over twice a year. Summer fishing derbys and winter ice fishing derbys are held on the lake each year. The Pinedale Boat & Yacht Clubs sponsor the Sailing Regatta on Fremont Lake each year in August.

Glacial Features:
Evidence of the Pinedale Glaciation (15,000 years old) is visible in the glacial moraines around Fremont, Boulder and New Fork Lakes.

Historic Trails:
The Astorian Route (1811-1812), the Oregon Trail, the Mormon Emigrant Trail, the Overland Trail (1843-1869) and the Pony Express Route (1860-1861) all crossed through this region. The trails are still visible today and are easily toured. There are many Overland Stage Stations and National Historic sites throughout the Green River drainage.

Horses:
One of the largest wild horse herds on the continent roams on the high desert south of Pinedale.

Kendall Warm Springs:
Located just north of Pinedale on the way to Green River Lakes, the Kendall Warm Springs contain a fish found nowhere else in the world! The Kendall Dace (Rhinichthys osculus thermalis) is only 2" long when fully grown. The warm springs is only a couple hundred yards long and has an average constant temperature of 84.4F. It has a thick bed of travertine that is thousands of years old.

Mountain Man Rendezvous:
The first Mountain Man Rendezvous was held in 1825. Between 1825 and 1840 there were six rendezvous' held just outside of Pinedale, making this the most popular and utilized location. Today, the Green River Rendezvous is re-enacted in Pinedale during a 4-day celebration each year on the second weekend in July.

Mountains:
Wyoming's highest mountain, Gannett Peak (13,804'), along with six of the largest seven glaciers in the contiguous states, is located in the Wind River Range near Pinedale.

Snowmobiling:
The Continental Divide Snowmobile Trail passes right through Pinedale. National publications proclaim that snowmobiling around Pinedale is some of the best in the country! Snowmobile races and poker runs are sponsored by the Pinedale Snow Explorers Snowmobile Club during the winter, including the Pinedale 100 Snowmobile Race on the frozen surface of Fremont Lake. During the summer, the Club also sponsors snowmobile grass drags.

More Information:
Bridger-Teton National Forest, Pinedale Ranger District, 307-367-4326
BLM-Pinedale Resource Area, 307-367-5300.
Wyoming Game & Fish Department, Pinedale District, 307-367-4352

Contact the Pinedale Area Chamber of Commerce for more information about local businesses and services: www.pinedalechamber.com, 307-367-2242, e-mail: pinedalechamber@wyoming.com.

- All Information and pictures provided by Pinedale Online!