Whiskey Basin

Whiskey Basin was set aside as a wildlife habitat area in 1954 to protect crucial winter range for bighorn sheep, the powerful wild sheep famous for the males' massive curled horns. In summer the sheep scatter high in the mountains, but as snow deepens they move down to these lower, windswept slopes where they can still reach grass, and the basin fills with them. The herd here is counted among the largest bighorn herds in the world.

The best time to watch is the colder months, from roughly late fall through early spring, when the sheep are concentrated on the winter range and easiest to spot. Elk, moose, deer, and many birds share the basin as well. Bring binoculars or a spotting scope, watch from a distance, and never approach or feed the animals, especially in winter when every bit of their energy matters for survival.

Torrey Creek runs through the basin past a chain of clear glacial lakes, including Torrey, Ring, and Trail lakes, cupped in bowls the ice left behind. The lakes hold trout and other fish and make fine spots to paddle, cast a line, or simply picnic with the mountains reflected in the water. From the upper lakes, a trail climbs into the high Wind River country, passing waterfalls on its way toward remote alpine lakes for those ready for a longer hike.

Scattered among the big glacial boulders near the lakes is some of the region's most important rock art. These petroglyphs, images pecked into the stone, are in the distinctive Dinwoody style and are believed to be the work of the ancestral Mountain Shoshone, often called the Sheepeaters, who lived in and hunted these mountains for generations. Some of the figures connect to Shoshone stories and spirits, and the whole group is protected on the National Register of Historic Places.

Whiskey Basin lies about four miles east of Dubois off U.S. Highway 26 and 287, reached by a gravel road that leads back toward the lakes and the mountains. The road is passable for most vehicles in dry weather but can turn rough or muddy, so plan around the conditions. To protect the wintering sheep, vehicles are kept off part of the area from early December into mid-May, though you may still explore on foot or horseback year-round.

The rock art is fragile and easy to miss or, worse, to damage by accident, so the best way to see it is on a guided trek run by the Dubois Museum, whose guides know where the panels are and how to view them respectfully. However you visit, treat this as the wild place it is: carry water, food, and bear spray, keep your distance from the sheep and moose, and leave every boulder and lakeshore just as you found it for the next traveler.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.