Summer/Fall 2023, Nine State Tour, 8.20.23 - 9.25.23, Part 2 of 9: Dubois, Wyoming

After five days in Yellowstone we were ready for the next leg of our adventure. East of the Grand Tetons, up and over the Continental Divide lies the small town of Dubois, Wyoming. With a population of less than a thousand, almost no one I mentioned this place to had ever heard of it. I knew it existed because it is situated on the northern end of the Wind River Range which I have researched as a must do backpacking trip, but other than its location, I also knew nothing about the town or its environs until a friend of mine sent me some photos and sang the praises of the area surrounding the town. Since then I had been chomping at the bit to explore the region and now our moment had finally arrived.

We left Yellowstone and drove south towards Moran Junction. It was a crystal clear morning and the Tetons looked tremendous. We had planned to make a stop at Oxbow Bend along the way to see if we might spot the most famous bear since Smokey, Grizzly 399. She and her new cub have often been spotted there and it seems like a spot she has hung around for several years if not longer. So just before we get to Oxbow Bend we come to an obvious “bear jam”. Cars are parked along both sides of the road, people are out and looking up the hillside next to the road and a forest service ranger is trying to keep the situation under control. We knew this was the spot 399 is commonly seen but there was no chance of pulling over in the Navibahn towing a Jeep so we slowly made our way through and parked at Oxbow Bend about a quarter mile further down, knowing we had a “near sighting” of the famous grizzly bear. Oxbow Bend is just a beautiful place but I had gotten incredible fall photos there on our last visit so we stayed just long enough to enjoy the scenery and continued on.

**Mt Moran reflected in the Snake River at Oxbow Bend**

Very shortly after Oxbow Bend we came to Moran Junction and turned east on Hwy 26. The stretch of road between Moran Junction and Dubois is also known as a very likely area to spot grizzly bears so we were both on high alert the whole way. It seemed like every two miles was a flashing warning sign about not approaching bears or stopping along the highway which only amplified our hopes of seeing one. But alas, bear sightings were not to be on this trip (sniff sniff). Despite no bear views, the mountain scenery as we drove over 9,658’ Togwotee Pass was wonderful. Just over the pass we rounded a bend and we came upon a towering rampart full of pinnacles which I think are called the North Breccia Cliffs. That really got us excited as we planned to hike up into that area the following day.

As we dropped down east of Togwotee Pass we began to see the other main attraction of this area which are known as the Dubois Badlands. I love all the wild badland areas of this country and the main reason I wanted to come to Dubois was to get an opportunity to photograph the Dubois Badlands at sunrise and sunset. We allotted three nights in Dubois which would give us time to get in a hike back near Togwotee Pass and to explore the badlands.

We stayed at Windhaven RV Resort right on the Wind River and thought it was a really nice place to stay. Dubois is a charming old west type of town and the Cowboy Cafe makes a great breakfast. We had gotten there fairly early in the day so I had time to drive up and down for maybe twenty miles along the Wind River scouting out places for good photos. There were lots of incredible badland formations all along the river but any roads heading across the river led to private property and there was really nowhere to get into the heart of the badlands. That evening we headed through town and drove up to a spot I’d found in my research called Dubois Badlands Overlook. It was a steep bluff just above the town and it did indeed provide some outstanding views of the badlands and the mountains. As the sun sank with a few storm clouds to give the sky more excitement I got some fantastic shots and I was really pleased with the results.

In the morning we headed out before the sun back up to the overlook. I got a couple of good shots that morning but it was pretty obvious that it is more of a sunset spot than a sunrise spot for all you photographers out there.

**Sunrise from Dubois Badlands Overlook**

The forecast called for rain by around noon so we thought we would try to squeeze in a hike before the skies opened up. We drove about a half hour back up towards Togwotee Pass and turned onto the Brooks Lake Road. First we drove in about five miles to Brooks Lake. There is also a lodge above the lake and a first come, first serve campground. The campsites were amazing. You could get incredible sunrise photos facing west and incredible sunset photos facing east without even leaving your campsite. The dirt road was in good enough shape that I might head back there someday with the Navibahn and camp at the lake for a day or two. It’s a beautiful setting with lots of hiking opportunities.

**10,390’ Sublette Peak above Brooks Lake**

After scoping out the lake we drove back just a short way and took a different forest road up to the Dunoir Trailhead which leads to a spot called Bonneville Pass. Here again, this area is supposedly crawling with grizzly bears and they mean it. We were only slightly comforted by the fact that there were two other vehicles at the trailhead and one was a horse trailer. On extremely high alert and with bear spray in hand, we started up the trail, making as much noise as possible. The very first part of the trail dropped down, crossed a creek and went through a bit of dense forest and willows. We made a lot of noise through this stretch, especially as we approached each bend in the trail. In less than a mile we entered a beautiful meadow and as we gently climbed to the top of the meadow the views of the peaks of the southern Absaroka Range were sublime.

**Looking back towards the trailhead and Sublette Peak from the first meadow**

After a short, gentle ascent through more trees, we suddenly opened up into a vast open meadowy slope that led up to 9,976’ Bonneville Pass. It was so sudden it was like going from inside (the trees) to outside (the meadow). From there we sauntered up to the pass. We had seen no other people or bears and the scenery was just incredible. The trail continued and acting on a research tip we followed the trail beyond the pass as it gradually descended until we reached the edge of a steep drop into the Dundee Meadows. Across from us were great walls of rock including 10,974’ Dunoir Butte and 11,302’ Coffin Butte.

We took in the views, headed back up to the pass and had lunch before heading back down to the trailhead. As luck would have it, the rain started only minutes before getting back to the Jeep. It was a really nice hike and now we want to go back and hike some of the trails from Brooks Lake.

**Breaking out into the final big meadow below the pass**

**Looking towards Dunoir Butte from Bonneville Pass**

So far I had been a tad frustrated that there was so much private property blocking access to the badlands. The overlook was great but I really wanted to get into the heart of the multi-colored rock formations. Once again, advanced research paid big dividends. Early in the morning we drove a few miles out of town and turned up Kingfisher Road to where it dead-ended at a gate. This gate allowed access to state land and a place called Mason Draw. Before sunrise we were the only car there. Mason Draw was really incredible. It started out as a very wide opening but as you hiked around a corner and up into it the walls on either side slowly closed in. All the walls to the west had a beautiful orange glow as the sun rose. Various other side draws tempted us to explore but we continued up the main draw for a couple of miles until we came to a side draw that really looked cool. Here we hit the jackpot. Incredible walls of rock towered over us in all sorts of odd shapes and colors. We followed the side draw up until it became almost a scramble and when we topped out on a high knoll we knew this was our stopping point. The views were just fantastic and we had the entire place to ourselves. I was so pleased and found everything I was hoping for up this side draw.

After returning from our morning hike up Mason Draw, we still had a half a day left in Dubois so we went to check out the National Museum of Military Vehicles. This huge museum (160,000 sq feet) opened in 2020 and holds over five hundred fully restored military vehicles, artillery pieces, naval vessels and aircraft covering a span of time from 1897 to the present, with a large emphasis on WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. It also has an extensive firearms collection including the rifle that fired the first shot at Bunker Hill. It is a fascinating look at the history and evolution of all kinds of military vehicles and the entire museum and the displays are really put together very well.

**National Museum of Military Vehicles**

We still had a couple of hours before dinner so we drove up Fish Hatchery Road and Trail Lakes Road to the end where a trailhead leads up into the high country of the Wind River Range. This is one of the main access points to climb Wyoming’s highest peak, 13,810’ Gannett Peak and numerous high lakes.

So Dubois was a big success and now it was time to head to Denver for my niece’s wedding. More adventures coming up in the next installment!

Summer/Fall 2023, Nine State Tour, 8.20.23 - 9.25.23, Part 2 of 9: Dubois, Wyoming

Summer/Fall 2023, Nine State Tour, 8.20.23 - 9.25.23, Part 1 of 9: Yellowstone National Park

Summer/Fall 2023, Nine State Tour, 8.20.23 - 9.25.23, Part 3 of 9: Elliot Ridge Backpack, Colorado