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.