Shoshone National Forest: Popo Agie Falls (Blog Hike #1134; Golden Staff Hike)

Trail: Middle Fork Trail
Hike Location: Shoshone National Forest
Geographic Location: southwest of Lander, WY (42.72936, -108.85758)
Length: 3.2 miles
Difficulty: 8/10 (Moderate/Difficult)
Date Hiked: September 2026
Overview: A persistent, sometimes rocky climb to impressive Popo Agie Falls.
Area Information: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/shoshone/recreation/popo-agie-wilderness
Hike Route Map:

On The Go Map

Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming September 2028)

Directions to the trailhead: From Lander, take SR 131 southwest 9.7 miles to the signed Popo Agie Falls Trailhead on the left.  Park in this large paved lot.

The hike: Established in 1891 by an act of Congress, Shoshone National Forest is the oldest national forest in the United States.  Originally known as the Yellowstone Timberland Reserve, the forest protects almost 2.5 million acres in western Wyoming east and southeast of Yellowstone National Park.  The Continental Divide forms most of the forest's western boundary, and it separates Shoshone National Forest from adjacent Bridger-Teton National Forest: Shoshone consists of lands east of the Great Divide while Bridger-Teton consists of lands west of it.  The forest is named for the Shoshone people, who lived in this area for several thousand years and still live on the adjacent Wind River Indian Reservation.

            Shoshone National Forest's recreation options are almost endless, and the forest offers almost 1600 miles of trails.  The hike described here is located in the very southern end of the national forest, and it leads to impressive Popo Agie Falls.  Pronounced like puh-POE-zha, Popo Agie Falls is formed where the Middle Popo Agie River drops into scenic Sinks Canyon.  This hike forms a reasonable day hike to a fascinating and popular destination, and I had a great hike on the warm and sunny fall afternoon that I came here.

Trail sign at parking area

            From the trailhead parking lot, walk north across the road and cross the Middle Popo Agie River on a nice footbridge.  Immediately you reach a trail intersection at an information board.  The trail going right leads downstream to a picnic area, so you want to turn left to begin heading upstream with the river on your left and some cliffs uphill to your right.  The single-track dirt Middle Fork Trail is unmarked, but it is clear, wide, and easy to follow.

Hiking upstream

            The first part of the trail follows a power line corridor, and soon you see the cabins that this power line serves across the river to the left.  In general this hike is a gradual to moderate climb, but at 0.6 miles the trail descends briefly to come right alongside the river.  The riverside area has thick vegetation, and the river has plenty of boulders and cascades to entertain you.  This is the only point where the trail comes right beside the river, so pause a minute to enjoy this riverside area.

Middle Popo Agie River

            Next the trail exits the riparian area and re-enters the semi-arid area, which contains many cedar trees and sagebrush.  Also, the grade intensifies.  The total elevation gain is just under 800 feet over 1.6 miles, so the trail never stays too steep for too long.  This trail is also open to mountain bikes and equestrians, and I saw a lot of horse manure on this trail, which indicates heavy horse use.  I mostly passed other hikers on my hike.

Veins in the rock

            The climb continues, and between 1.3 and 1.4 miles you climb 2 short switchbacks that were built to bypass especially steep and rocky areas.  If you look up at the cliffs to the right in this section, you will see veins where volcanic lava oozed up through cracks in the existing rock.  Wyoming geology is very complicated, and canyons such as this one make great places to study it.

Trail splits

            Just past 1.4 miles, the trail splits.  As directed by a wooden sign, you need to angle left to head for Popo Agie Falls; the trail going right heads further upstream and deeper into the Popo Agie Wilderness.  While this area is too dry to make for great wildlife viewing, I saw a northern mockingbird in this area, and I drove past some elk and some free range cattle on my drive up Sinks Canyon to this trailhead.

Popo Agie Falls

Popo Agie Falls, top portion

Popo Agie Falls, bottom portion

Aspens dotting the hillside

            A final uphill push brings you to the ledge that offers a great survey of Popo Agie Falls, which consists of several drops. The top fall is further away and several hundred feet above you, while the bottom fall is only a few hundred feet away but below you.  Both falls have impressive height and water volume.  I came here on a Monday afternoon in late September when the aspen leaves were a brilliant yellow; they contrasted nicely with the grey rock, white water, and green pine trees.  The trail keeps going to the top of the falls, and you can go there if you have the time and energy.  There is no easy way to form a loop, so I turned around at the first viewpoint and retraced my steps to the parking lot to complete the hike.

Curt Gowdy State Park: Crow Creek Trail (Blog Hike #1133)

Trail: Crow Creek Trail
Hike Location: Curt Gowdy State Park
Geographic Location: between Cheyenne and Laramie, WY (41.17344, -105.24172)
Length: 4.1 miles
Difficulty: 7/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: September 2026
Overview: An out-and-back along Crow Creek to the canyon containing Hidden Falls.
Park Information: https://wyoparks.wyo.gov/index.php/places-to-go/curt-gowdy
Hike Route Map:

On The Go Map

Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming July 2, 2027)

Directions to the trailhead: The entrance to Curt Gowdy State Park is located on the south side of SR 216 about half way between Cheyenne and Laramie.  Turn south to enter the park, pay the park entrance fee, and drive the main park road 1.7 miles to the Hidden Falls Trailhead parking area on the right.  Park here.

The hike: Originally named Granite State Park, Curt Gowdy State Park protects 2473 acres in the Laramie Mountains of southeast Wyoming.  The park came to be in 1971 when the State of Wyoming entered into a lease agreement with the City of Cheyenne and the Boy Scouts of America.  The park's name was changed in 1972 to honor Curt Gowdy, the famous sports broadcaster from this area who popularized calling the Rose Bowl "The Grandaddy of Them All."

            Today Curt Gowdy State Park is the crown jewel of the Wyoming state park system.  The park offers 3 man-made lakes, 179 campsites across several campgrounds, and the historic Hynds Lodge, an old Boy Scout and City of Cheyenne lodge that dates to 1922.  The park also offers hiking, mountain biking, and equestrian trails that total 35 miles.  The park's trails traverse a wide range of scenery and elevation, but the park's most popular hiking trail is the Crow Creek Trail described here.  The Crow Creek Trail follows its namesake creek upstream from its mouth at Granite Springs Reservoir, and it leads to an interesting waterfall called Hidden Falls.  Hidden Falls gets its name from its location in a pocket canyon, and while I stopped just short of Hidden Falls, I had a very pleasant hike on the Crow Creek Trail.

Hidden Falls Trailhead

            From the Hidden Falls Trailhead, pick up the Crow Creek Trail as it heads northwest with the main park road on your right.  The Crow Creek Trail is also called the Hidden Falls Trail on some signs and maps.  The park seems to use the 2 names interchangeably, and I will do the same.  After 0.2 miles of gradual descending, you reach an old trailhead and a trail intersection at the south end of Granite Springs Reservoir's causeway.  The Granite Ridge Trail exits left here to climb moderately to a lake overlook.  Continue straight to remain on the Crow Creek Trail.

Granite boulders

            The trail curves left and descends to a level just above the upper end of Granite Springs Reservoir.  If you look across the lake, you can see why this park was originally called Granite State Park: huge granite boulders cling to the hillside.  Wyoming's geology is very complicated with layer upon layer of different rocks.  In general, shales sit upon limestones and sandstones which sit upon schists, gneiss, and granites, but the exact order and composition vary widely across the state.

Crow Creek

            At 0.6 miles, you reach the upper end of the reservoir, and the trail curves right to begin a creekside course on wide sandy-dirt trail.  You will cross Crow Creek 4 times, each time on a nice bridge.  You also pass a small concrete dam and an hydrology station.  Crow Creek has good flow most of the year, and the creekside hiking is easy and pleasant.  At 0.9 miles, a wide bike trail continues straight where you need to turn left.  Watch for the signs for the Hidden Falls Trail to stay on track.

Climbing on rocky trail

            1.3 miles into the hike, the Pinball Trail, another mountain bike trail, exits right.  As directed by more signs, turn left to stay on the Hidden Falls Trail.  Next comes the hardest part of the hike: the trail climbs and descends numerous rock slabs and boulders, sometimes steeply.  A couple of metal railings help prevent you from slipping in steep areas, and you need to take your time to maintain good footing.  Just shy of 1.6 miles, the trail tops a small rise and returns to a more gentle creekside feel.

Mouth of canyon containing Hidden Falls

            Near 1.75 miles, other trails exit first right and then left; the only bench on this hike is also in this area.  Continue upstream to stay on the Crow Creek Trail.  Just past 2 miles, the trail ends in the creek just below Hidden Falls.  Hidden Falls is a popular destination: there were many people here when I arrived early on a Saturday afternoon in mid-September.  To see the waterfall, you will have to hop on some rocks and wade through some water in the narrow canyon.  I feared that such a venture might be above my agility level, so I settled for a view of the pool and cascade at the canyon's mouth.  The trail ends here, so the only option is to retrace your steps to the trailhead to complete the hike.