8 Free And Cheap Things To Do In Pinedale, Wyoming
Pinedale, Wyoming is often considered a gateway to the Wind River Mountains.
Pinedale became incorporated in 1912 and today has a little over 2,000 citizens. It serves as the county seat of Sublette County, Wyoming.
Over 80% of the county is public land, there are around 1,300 lakes in the Pinedale area and there isn’t a stoplight in the entire county. The area is an extremely popular spot for outdoor enthusiasts year-round.
Pinedale has a grocery store, a ranger station, and multiple little shops. Pinedale is a charming little town and one of our favorites we have visited in our travels.
Below are some cheap and free things to do during your visit and a bonus nearby location as well.
Museum of the Mountain Man: This great little museum focuses on the history of the mountain men who explored and settled the surrounding region in the early 19th century. It cost $10 per person.
A full-scale replica of Chief American Horse’s tipi stands in the museum and is quite impressive.
Sublette County Visitor Center: This small visitor center has all the information you will need while visiting the city of Pinedale, Sublette county, and the rest of Wyoming. An 8-foot statue of famous mountain man Jim Bridger stands in front of the building.
Public Art Walking Tour: The self-guided Public Art Walking Tour showcases incredible sculptures and murals around this charming small town. You can pick up a brochure at the visitor center that shows the location of each piece and provides further information.
The moose mural was my favorite.
Bison’s Bounty: This little shop sells the most delicious hot, fresh, and made-to-order mini-donuts I’ve ever had. They also sell local homemade chocolates that were delicious as well.
Do not visit Pinedale without stopping here.
American Legion Park: The American Legion Park sits in the heart of the town. The sculpture Path of the Pronghorn greets visitors as they enter the park and Pine Creek runs alongside it. An outstanding Veterans Memorial is located in the back of the park.
Fremont Lake: This is one of the largest lakes in Wyoming. In the summer it is a popular spot for boating and fishing and in the winter visitors use it for ice skating, ice fishing, and hockey.
Skyline Drive Loop: This 32-mile scenic drive offers views of lakes, mountains, and forests along its route. Fremont Lake, Half Moon Lake, and Soda Lakes are a few of the places you will discover.
It’s a popular area for wildlife so keep an eye out for pronghorns.
Hiking the Wind River Range: If you start at the Elkhart Park trailhead (43.00386, -109.75197) you can hike multiple trails including Sacred Rim and Photographers Point. You can stop at the ranger station on the way their for details on the hikes.
Bring bug repellant…the mosquitos literally ate us alive and we turned around shortly after we began.
We will call this a bonus: Green River Lakes
Technically it’s an hour and 1/2 away from Pinedale, but should not be missed while visiting the area. This place is just breathtaking!
You can hike, kayak and backpack here and since it’s part of the Bridger-Teton National Forest you can boondock here for free. We saw our first moose here (right in our camp) and met a Continental Divide thru-hiker on the trail.
Click on this link to see all my posts on our visit to the area.
It’s one of our favorite places we visited in over two years of full-time travel.
And here are a few extras for Pinedale:
Every year during the 2nd full weekend in July the Green River Rendezvous Days Festival is held in town. For four days visitors celebrate the mountain men, explorers, and Native Americans that lived and worked in the region.
Food, live music, beer, and entertainment are a few of the attractions visitors can expect.
Each year in May the Living History Day event is held at the Museum of the Mountain Man.
Hundreds of school children from Wyoming come to the museum to see demonstrations and hear lectures from members of the American Mountain Men.
If you’re looking for a place to camp we boondocked at Soda Lake for free for two weeks and loved it.
Pinedale is surrounded by multiple Wildlife Habitat Management Areas as well as the Bridger-Teton National Forest so there are multiple free camping options.
Pinedale, Wyoming and the surrounding area should absolutely be added to your bucket list. We fell in love with this place and highly recommend it to anyone who loves the outdoors.
For more information on anything listed above click on the link.
