WYOMING

There are fewer dogs in Wyoming than any other state, which is good in a way since there are fewer dogs who are disappointed they can’t hike in Yellowstone National Park or Grand Tetons National Park. Even Richard Dreyfuss and his aliens are more welcome at Devils Tower National Monument than canine hikers. Wyoming is where the Great Plains give up and become the Rocky Mountains. When Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch wanted to escape detection the outlaw gang's favorite hideout was Wyoming's Hole-in-the Wall, the only break in a red sandstone escarpment that scoots for 50 miles through the Big Horn Mountains. You can visit the legendary outlaw haven with your dog today. It is 32 miles from Interstate 25 and any services, reached primarily on a dusty road through grazing country so each livestock gate must be opened and closed. Once you arrive at the trailhead it is then a 2.5-mile hike over primitive terrain. That is what the great outdoors are like in Wyoming. The Flaming Gorge in southwestern Wyoming was another favorite hiding place for Butch Cassidy but since the Green River was dammed in 1964 it has become a National Recreation Area and not so secretive; the Little Hole National Recreation Trail is one of the best waterside treks you can take with your dog. Experienced backpacking dogs will have to do the Cirque of the Towers in the Wind River Range. If you only have a day steer your dog to the alpine lakes of the Highland trail at 8,000 feet.

The Best Day Hike You Can Take With Your Dog In Wyoming

Highline Trail
Bridger-Teton National Forest • Pinedale

The Wind River Range doesn’t get as much hype as its famous neighbors at Yellowstone and the Tetons but there is more glacial activity here than any place in the Lower 48. That scouring and shaping has created the tallestmountain in the middle Rocky Mountains (Gannett Peak at 13,804 feet) and many spectacular alpine lakes. Sitting at 8,000 feet, the Green River Lakes are considered the headwaters for the Green River that is the primary feeder into the great Colorado River.

The Highline Trail begins at the base of the Lower Green Lake and crosses the outlet to the Green River to begin a meadow ramble that will trace the east shore for three miles. The south shore features a broad pebble beach where your dog can swim beneath the jagged Wind River peaks. You can complete a trip around the lake at this point by diving into a thick spruce forest on the Lakeside Trail if you desire.

More popular is pushing up the High- line Trail to Upper Green Lake and ever-closer views of Squaretop Mountainthat has dominated Seaman’s views since his first steps. The turquoise waters lap up against the White Rock Cliffs and the trail visits more meadows beyond.

Eventually you will need to decide when to turn back as time and energy dictate since the Highline continues for 14.5 miles. Don’t listen to Seaman’s vote to just keep heading deeper into the staggering Wind River Range - which is his natural inclination.

HIKING TIME: 3+ hours

(from the book 300 Day Hikes To Take With Your Dog Before He Tires You Out: Trails where you won’t be able to wipe the wag off your dog’s tail)