Visit Pinedale WY Fall Fly Fishing New Fork River

New Fork Lakes

Overview

Want to get away to a remote, beau­ti­ful moun­tain lake, but don’t want to dri­ve too far from Pinedale? New Fork Lakes, nes­tled at the base of the rugged Wind Riv­er Moun­tains, offers exten­sive recre­ation­al oppor­tu­ni­ties and facil­i­ties and is only 24 miles from Pinedale.

Sum­mer recre­ation­al oppor­tu­ni­ties at New Fork Lakes include camp­ing, hik­ing, back­pack­ing, horse­back rid­ing, fish­ing, and boat­ing. Anglers can cast for brook trout, Mack­i­naw (lake trout), Koka­nee salmon, and rain­bows. New Fork Lakes is an access point for many trails in the Wind Riv­er Range and Bridger Wilder­ness. There are also oppor­tu­ni­ties for short strolls and day hikes.

Popular Activities

New Fork Lake Visit Pinedale WY

CAMP­ING

For­est Ser­vice facil­i­ties at New Fork Lakes Camp­ground (low­er lake) include basic camp­sites, boat launch, vault toi­lets, and drink­ing water. Lake access is a short walk from any of the camp­sites. Far­ther up the lake, at the Nar­rows, campers will also find some trail­er pull-throughs, refuse con­tain­ers, pub­lic cor­ral, and extra park­ing and turn­around space at the Nar­rows trail­head. The Nar­rows Camp­ground sits over­look­ing the lake and most sites have pret­ty views of the water. 

A seclud­ed large group site is tucked in the trees near the low­er end of the lake and can be reserved for 25 – 150people. It offers a pleas­ant forest­ed set­ting in a large lev­el area and includes ban­quet sized pic­nic tables, grills, vault toi­lets, group camp­fire facil­i­ty, and park­ing for up to 20 RVs with turn­around space. Drink­ing water and refuse con­tain­ers are avail­able at the Nar­rows. There are no hookups or dump sta­tions for RVs. A Camp­ground Host is onsite in the sum­mer to answer ques­tions and help visitors.

LOCA­TION

In the win­ter, the road lead­ing from High­way 352 to the lakes is not plowed, but can be an ide­al trip on snow­mo­bile for ice fish­er­men. There is a large turn­around and park­ing area for trucks and snow­mo­bile trail­ers near the turnoff for New Fork Lakes.

Looking for Something Different?

Fly Fishing Visit Pinedale WY

BEFORE YOU GO

  • Moose often feed on the willows northeast of the lake, so bring your binoculars!
  • Because a special Wildlife Winter Range area surrounds most of the north shore, snowmobilers should consult their snowmobile maps for season of use, open trail areas, and winter range closure dates.
  • A high elk fence through the forest marks the boundary of this enclosure area, and gates off the road during times when the area is closed to human presence.
  • For campground fee information and reservations, call the Pinedale Ranger District at 307-367-4326 or visit Recreation.gov.
  • This campground fills up quickly during national and local holidays, so reservations are strongly advised.