Snow in the high country?

[Houndchaser208]

Just wondering how much snow is still up in the high country of region G? Has anyone been out walking the hills yet and run into problems with the snow?

 

[Millsworks]

I think most are too busy on this forum stabbing each other and feeling sorry for themselves, cause they didn't get a tag, or maybe not the tag they wanted.

I got mine.
But I did apply for it, so that does help.

 

[wytex]

With the runoff problems they are having with road washouts over there I'm betting it's going or gone fast.
Lots of closures along the Ham's fork it sounds like.

 

[rocky2track]

I can look out my window and see most of the east side of the Wyoming Range from south of Big Piney clear up through Hoback Peak, and the Gros Ventre Range. Its still chock full of snow at the high elevations. Above 9500 feet there still is a ton of snow on most faces. Some south & west slopes have started melting out good, but the east and north slopes are fuggin' white still. The Gros Ventre, head of Granite creek is damn white. Now all the lower aspen areas and timber have melted out pretty good, but those high basins are still white. Damn, the area south of Hoback Peak still has so much snow I think there's going to be some snowmobiles up there this 4th of July weekend for an independence day ride....lol.

Labarge Creek road up to the head the head of the Greys is closed indefinite, washout and landowner won't allow access for it to be repaired. I doubt you can get to the head of the Grey's following the Greys River Road from Alpine as there usually are some damn big drifts towards the top and this year there probably still there. Don't know if you can get up the Smith's Fork Road yet from the Cokeville side. There was some washouts on it, but don't know where the snowline is on that side. South Piney Creek road out of Big Piney is closed in several places. It had washed out a couple weeks ago and is waiting on repairs but the creek levels have got to come down. You can surely get to a lot of places throughout the Wyoming & Salt River Range, but you'll run into snow if your heart is set on scouting those high basins this weekend.

 

[Tknez]

I haven't been up yet this year. I never go until late July at the earliest. I can tell you this though. The last time we had a lot of snow in 2011 when I took my first trip up (July 27th) there was still a lot of snow from about 9000' and up. Almost was not able to get to the top at about 10,000' because of a snow drift we had to cross and the fact my 9 year old son was with me. Also a lot of the roads up there right now are not passable. We had more snow this winter then we did in 2011. Hope this helps answer some of you questions.

 

[Tknez]

LAST EDITED ON Jun-27-17 AT 09:36AM (MST)[p]Rocky great post on just how much white stuff we got this year! The trip I wrote about above in 2011 I actually had to take the Labarge creek road over the top because of Mcdouglals gap still being closed. Man that road is nasty be the way! Anyway as I was making my way down towards the graze I met a forest service worker heading up. He wanted to know how it was coming in from that way because to his knowledge no one had been all the way over the top yet. I told him other then driving through most of the creeks that were in the middle of the road it wasn't bad. Haha. Like l said above we got more snow this year then we did that year. It is going to be a while for sure to get to the tops!

 

[wytex]

Thanks for some accurate info. How long do you think it will last this year compared to high snow pack years in the past?
Maybe the road closures will actually help the hunting .

 

[Tknez]

There will be snow up there in some places all the way through summer. In the summer of 2011 there was one drift that stayed the whole year in the area I was hunting at the time. This year there will be considerably more snow that makes it through the summer I would think.

 

[rocky2track]

Yeah, eventually all the high basins will be accessible. Just could take longer than usual this year depending on temps. I have no doubt there will be big snowdrifts in the upper basins come this fall in places. Hell some of us have seen first snowfall that 3rd week of August up there before, especially with those cold rain storms that come through and that's what only 8 weeks out... LOL....
My perpective on accessing the country this year is I believe most major roads will be open...big woopee right. Now I think some trails that lead into the high country could be really tore up this year. May not affect you fellas with camp on your backs, but the horse trails across some of these steep creek crossings, ravines and steep sidecanyon areas could be rather interesting.
Our long term forecast is to have normal precip through the next few months, but temps may be a little on the warm side. Will just take it as it comes! The deer/elk really won't care where the hell the snow line really soon when the bugs get fierce. They'll be up there laying in the snow.