North Chinese Wall - Upper Sun River

This is a late summer trip into the upper reaches North Fork of the Sun River and along the North Chinese Wall.  We start the trip at the Middle Fork Teton River trailhead and traverse over Route Creek Pass as we work our way down to Lick Creek.  After spending a night there, we take a gorgeous day riding along the North Chinese Wall before dropping back down to Gates Park on the Sun River.  Here we spend several more nights and explore the many points of interest on day rides from camp.  The area around Gates Park is full of late 19th century western history, as well as earlier native Indian history.  Additionally, there are spectacular vista points from areas like Biggs Creek meadows and Bear Top Fire Lookout.  The fishing is unpredictable this time of year, as the river can be high if we get a lot of snow and a later run off.  If we have a normal winter and spring, the river is clearing up and the fishing can be quite good.  However, the following week and after are more predictable for clear water.

This early in the season we can occassionally find elk and moose antler sheds in the nearby by meadows, testament to these these animals moving through in early spring chasing spring grass and headed to their summering grounds.  This week is a good week to see wildlife as many of the cow elk, deer, and other animals as the animals with their young will stay in the river bottoms and lower elevations where the feed is lush, and we can often see them in our day rides and in the meadows near camp in the evenings.  We also see large numbers of raptors this time of year, ranging from golden eagles, owls, ospreys, hawks, falcons, and dozens of other birds of prey. 

While the days are long, you will find our night-time skys are spectacular with deep space views of the galaxy and beyond.  The stargazing, as with our daytime scenery, is simply unparalleled by any in the lower 48 states.  Many of our guests find themselves staying up to early morning watching the evening sky.  Evening comes late this time of year as our sun sets around 10:00pm in the evening.  It can be a challenge staying up late enough for the stars to come out after an exhilirating day, but it's absolutely worth it. There are rarely any forest fires this early in the West, so we can expect crystal clear nights for star viewing.  The is no night polution and now early summer haze as the humidity is always quite low.  The nights are cool so be prepared for that when you step away from the campfire.

Day 1: Pack up early at the Middle Fork Teton trailhead and prepare for the ride over Route Creek Pass (elev 6,800ft).  This is a modest climb up the Middle Fork then dropping a gradual ride down Route Creek into the Sun River valley.  We cross the river and head west up Lick Creek a bit before camping. This is a beautiful day with a mix of high alpine meadows at Route Creek Pass, lower old burn, and open meadows. Riding distance 14 miles.

Day 2: After refreshing for the night, we travel up Lick Creek to the North Chinese Wall where and spend the bulk of the day riding along it.  This is a meandering limestone formation 500 million years old.  As we ride along under the 1,000 foot cliffs you may see mountain goats, big horn sheep, and some elk in this very high alpine area.  This is an exhilirating ride, and while you will be tired, it is well worth it.  Riding distance 18 miles.

Day 3: Non travel this day.  For day riders, we often go to Bear Top fire lookout which is the only remaining fire look out in the valley.  The view up there are incredible.  It's a good trail and we ride most of the way and hike the last 45 minutes.  We eat lunch and chat with the fire watch person, and just soak in amazing 360 views.  Total riding distance 10 miles.  Hikers have many miles of trails going right past camp and the hike over to Gates Lake is popular.  This trail continues on towards Rock Creek and offers some superb vantage points above the Sun River and the Rock Creek valley looking west to the south Chinese Wall. There is excellent fishing as well on the Sun River.

Day 4: Non travel this day.  We often take a day to ride down river to Rock Creek and explore some immense open country.  This is an easy ride with lots of great photo ops. Usually 6-8 miles.  There is excellent fishing as well on the Sun River.

Day 5: Non travel this day but plenty to do.  If you're up for a day ride, we often go to Biggs Creek Meadows to explore and see some incredible views of the continental divide to the west and the Sun River valley in all other directions.  Riding distance is 5 miles. There are some great hikes too for the adventuresome.  The ridges are mostly open in this area, so they are easy to navigate and reward you with some great vistas.  There is excellent fishing as well on the Sun River.

Day 6:  We pack up early and head out the Headquarters trail.  We get an early start to beat the heat and the dust, and are eating lunch in the basin below Headquarters Pass (elevation 7,700 ft).  This is a spectacular pass with amazing vista.  We often see mountain goats and bighorn sheep in the basins on either side of the pass.  Our day ends at the South Fork Teton trailhead.  We typically arrive in there in early afternoon.  Riding distance 14 miles.