Snowmobiling The Continental Divide Trail, 4: Green River Lakes

The ride to Green River Lakes has always been my favorite snowmobile ride, and Thursday's ride was easily the best of them all. It was 48 miles, mostly on the CD, from the Warm Springs parking lot to the edge of the lower lake. The skies were clear and the temperatures were almost warm for February. And the whole ride had been beautifully groomed the night before. The were other snowmobiles in the area—the Rapid City club had shown up in the parking lot that morning, with 28 sleds—but clearly they had other priorities. It took us about two hours to get to the lake, and, first time ever, we had the place entirely to ourselves. Never saw another soul. (Did see moose and elk, and bear and mountain lion tracks near the lake). The silence, not to mention the scenery, was incredible. On the way back, we took variants N and S. S would have been better on the way to Green River, since much of the ride faces the Winds, relatively close up. About 120 miles total, and six hours of great riding.

So, what are the Green River Lakes, you ask? The Green River, aka the Colorado River, downstream, rises in the Wind River range, from one of the five glaciers on Gannett Peak. As it leaves the mountains, it passes through the beautiful Green River Lakes. The lakes are surrounded on three sides by high walls and peaks, and back-dropped by Squaretop Mountain. Wyoming has three utterly iconic scenes: Devil's Tower, the Tetons, and Squaretop Mountain rising behind the Green River Lakes. This trail, on Forest Service land (there's a popular summer campground on the lake), is as deep as you can get into the Winds on a snowmobile (or a car, in the summertime). Legally.

Our snowmobile, with it many campaign pennants, 2004-2015

Headed south on the CD, the Absarokas on the left

A bit further on, the Gros Ventres range on the right

From the Strawberry Hut south, all the way to the junction with
the N trail and the bridge over the Green...12-15 miles of
unridden, freshly groomed trail...typical CDT

On trail N, the Green River over there under the snow

Not far from the junction of the CD and N, a warm springs
where a protected fish species lives...the Kendall Warm
Springs Dace

After several more miles of N, you branch onto GL and encounter
a prominent elk feeding area

Thus; hundreds of elk

That close

Approaching Green River Lakes

Up closer

Enlarge and find the two moose in the trees

At the entrance to the summer campground and trailheads

There, finally, on the shore of Green River Lake

Squaretop Mountain...to be continued