The fourth entry point to the Wind River Wilderness is Big Sandy Lake. It sits high on the southeastern shoulder of the mountain range, at 9100 ft. altitude, and is reached by another 40 mile road, most of which is unpaved and slow going. There are both a campground and a lodge on the shore of the lake, and the trails radiate out from there. The lodge is really a collection of log cabins and a central dining hall which serves excellent food three meals a day. We like to stay at the lodge for two nights on arrival (to allow our bodies to adjust to the high atitude) and one night on the way back out to allow a nice hot shower and good meal after several days roughing it and cooking for ourselves. However, the campground is nice, with plenty of room and incredible views no matter where you put your tent.

As with the Green River Lakes, we urge you to start up the road to Sandy Lake in the morning to allow plenty of time to drive and after arrival. If you arrive at the turnoff from the main road in the afternoon, we suggest spending the night in Pinedale and waiting til morning for the trip out.

Big Sandy Lake is the other end of the famous Highline Trail which begins at the Green River Lakes. It is also the trailhead for the trail to The Cirque of the Towers, the third of America's top three backpacking trails. So even though this remote trailhead is isolated and hard to get to, we highly recommend it.

As with Dubois and Pinedale, we advise a day after arrival to adjust before hitting the trails. Obviously, there's no town here. But you do have the Lodge and the Campground, so you'll have plenty of people to talk to who have just come in from their own hikes and backpacks. You can gather a wealth of information and make some new friends. This is high, rugged country with often hostile weather, Black and Grizzly Bear everywhere, and some tricky trails across boulder fields and other hazards. The more you know, the fewer problems you'll have.