You’ve heard of Yellowstone. You’ve seen the Grand Teton postcards. Now it’s time to find the Wyoming that most visitors never do — where the trails are empty and the peaks are all yours.
Wyoming is the least-visited state in the contiguous U.S. — which, when you consider what’s here, makes it the country’s best-kept secret. And those who do visit go to the same predictable places.
But, aside from that tiny northwestern corner, Wyoming is wide open, a place where you’ll be all alone in pristine wilderness, surrounded by cirques carved by glaciers, alpine lakes the color of the Caribbean, waterfalls that thunder into granite canyons, and ridgelines where the wind-twisted trees grow improbably out of the rock.
These 10 trails — spread across three of Wyoming’s wildest mountain ranges — prove that the state’s best hiking happens in places you’ve never heard of.
Wind River Range
1. Green River Lakes Loop, 6.3-mile loop
When you see the sheer granite face of Square Top Mountain mirrored so perfectly in Lower Green River Lake, you’ll have to check twice to confirm which way is up. The terrain stays largely flat as this 6.3-mile trail loops around the lake.
So, you can spend more time gawking at the scenery and less time sweating — ideal for families, photographers with heavy packs, or anyone wanting a genuine Wind River experience without a 6-day backcountry commitment. This is the rare hike that overdelivers on the easy end of the difficulty spectrum.
2. Sacred Rim Trail, 3.4-mile out-and-back
Want maximum Wyoming in minimum mileage? With just 557 feet of elevation gain, Sacred Rim delivers a panoramic sweep of Wind River peaks and a cluster of alpine lakes glinting like a handful of dropped coins below.
The rocky rim itself has the drama of a much more remote destination: wind-scoured stone, a sudden drop to the valley below, and the sense that you’re standing on the edge of the world because, well, you are. This is one of the finest viewpoints in the entire range, and most people have never heard of it.
3. Photographers Point via Pole Creek Trail, 9.5-mile out-and-back
The name is apt: The view from the top looks like a painted backdrop from an old Western. Pole Creek winds through wildflower meadows of lupine and paintbrush before climbing to a viewpoint where multiple alpine lakes sit below a jagged Wind River ridgeline.
The 9.5-mile round-trip is a genuine workout for mileage alone, but the climbing is mostly moderate. Go on a weekday, and there’s a solid chance you’ll have the viewpoint entirely to yourself, a strange and wonderful feeling for one of the range’s most spectacular spots.
4. Lake Louise Trail, 4.8-mile out-and-back
We’re not sure which Lake Louise was named first — this one or the one in British Columbia — but when you’re staring at the turquoise glacier-fed lake, ringed by peaks, you won’t care. The Fitzpatrick Wilderness route to the lake passes through a canyon where a massive waterfall drops with serious intent, the mist cold and mineral-smelling even on warm afternoons.
At just under 5 miles with manageable elevation, it’s one of the best family hikes in the Wind Rivers. Bring a lunch and plan to stay a while.
Bighorn Mountains
5. Mirror Lake and Lost Twin Trail, 11.1-mile out-and-back
The Bighorns are Wyoming’s great secret — big, wild, and perpetually underestimated. And this trail is the range’s crown jewel: two stunning alpine lakes, sustained rock scrambling that demands your full attention, and sweeping mountain views that don’t show up in travel brochures because nobody’s been there to photograph them.
This is the top-rated hike in the Bighorns on AllTrails, but it still sees a fraction of the traffic of Yellowstone on a Tuesday afternoon. Prepare your quads. Reward them accordingly.
6. Mistymoon Trail, 13.6-mile out-and-back
Mistymoon sits at the base of Cloud Peak — the Bighorns’ highest summit at 13,171 feet — and the trail to reach it is spectacular. Waterfalls appear on the approach, the lake itself is cold and impossibly clear, and if you set up camp here, you’ll wake up with Cloud Peak directly overhead. Day hikers doing the full 13.6 miles should start early.
7. Shell Falls Interpretive Trail, 0.4-mile loop
Half a mile is all it takes. Shell Creek drops 120 feet into a granite canyon, and the sound alone — a roar you feel before you hear — is worth the stop. The trail is fully wheelchair-accessible, and you get an absolutely spectacular waterfall that asks almost nothing of you. The best hikes don’t have to be hard.
Medicine Bow / Snowy Range
8. Libby Creek Trail, 4.2-mile loop
While the lakes right off the highway do see some traffic, Libby Creek runs quietly through fragrant lodgepole pines, largely unbothered. The loop follows the creek for most of its length — the sound of moving water is constant — passing small waterfalls, wildflower clearings, and the occasional moose doing whatever moose do. Dogs are welcome, and the trail is accessible from the Green Rock parking area.
9. Medicine Bow Peak and Lakes Trail Loop, 7-mile loop
Medicine Bow Peak tops out at 12,013 feet, the highest point in southern Wyoming, and the loop to its summit passes through some of the most concentrated alpine beauty in the state: multiple lakes catching the sky, rocky tundra that crunches underfoot, and 360-degree views at the top that stretch from Colorado to the Snowy Range. The loop means every mile is new terrain. Go early in summer to catch the wildflowers at their most outrageous.
10. Lewis Lake, South Gap Lake, and Snowy Mountains Trail, 2.9-mile out-and-back
The Snowy Range, just 45 minutes from Laramie, packs an unreasonable amount of alpine scenery into very short distances. Lewis Lake appears quickly, its surface a flat silver mirror against the surrounding peaks. The trail continues through rocky terrain and wildflower fields to South Gap Lake, and the ambitious can push on to North Gap Lake for another 1.5 miles of beauty. Start early on weekends, and you’ll have the first miles to yourself.
Wyoming doesn’t ask for your attention. It doesn’t need to. The 10 trails here were chosen because they reward the people who actually show up, who drive the extra hour past the turnoff everyone else takes, who shoulder a pack on a Tuesday, who follow a trail marker into a cirque that doesn’t have a gift shop at the end of it. Go, find your peace and quiet.
This article is sponsored by the Wyoming Office of Tourism.
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