Downs Mountain is a thirteener in the Wind River Range of Wyoming. It is the 15th highest in the state and the northernmost thirteener of the Continental Divide of North America. The most massive of the state's high peaks, the summit area is a scree lump that survived the ice age. Therefore, though there are a dozen gneiss and granite headwalls, they are all found lower on the mountain or on adjacent shoulders and plateaus.

Downs can be climbed at Class 2 from any direction. It has seen just a few technical ascents on the peak proper, with most climbers concentrating on the buttresses and towers at the head of Torrey Creeks or the towers at Downs Lake.

Downs is also the home of six glaciers and several snowfields. The eastern shoulder of the mountain extends into a vast high-altitude frost-plain of windy slabs known as Goat Flat. It is here that Downs receives its just reputation as a study location for a large herd of Bighorn Sheep. The east side of the six-square-mile Goat Flat contains the Double Lakes cirque, a common stopover point on the Glacier Trail. The moraines for Downs and Torrey Glaciers are reputed to be the largest and most unstable in the range.

The tarns along the edge of Continental Glacier, that appear each summer, are the highest bodies of water in both Wyoming and the Central Rockies at 12620'/3847m. In recent years they have become larger than shown on the current USGS topo sheet.

Downs is one of the more "popular" peaks in the state and is a destination for a surprising amount of hunters and backcountry trekkers.

Although the elevation is shown as 13349' on the current map, the latest data from the NGS Datasheet gives the adjusted elevation as 13,355' (4071m).

Approaches

East Side Approach. 4 miles east of Dubois, turn south from highway 26/287 and follow the recently improved dirt road (FS #411; passable in cars) eight miles past Trail Lake Ranch to its end. The Glacier Trail is then taken for 4 miles to a choice of routes below Bomber Falls. Either continue up the Glacier Trail for 5 miles to the campsites on the south end of Burro Flat or continue on use trails above Bomber Basin (site of a B-17) and up Torrey Creek for 5 miles to Bomber Lake.
West Side Approach. From Pinedale, follow highway 191 NW for 6 miles to the Cora road. Follow for 45 miles to the Green River Lakes trailhead. The Clear Creek trail leaves the highline trail after 3 miles on the SE end of the lower lake. It ascends past the natural bridge for 4 miles to the upper end of Clear Lake below Bear Basin where several miles of off-trail travel leads to the west slopes. It might be less rugged to use the Roaring Fork Trail north from Lower Green River Lake for 14 miles to Faler Lake in Bear Basin.
North Approach. Sandra Pass at the head of Jakeys Fork (reached from either the Simpson Lake Trail or from Seven Lakes Pass via Union Pass) can be used to reach the north slopes of the mountain. Travel isn't hard beyond the pass but the distance is 14 miles to Sandra Lake and the peak is another 7 miles. To reach the Simpson Lake trail up Jakeys Fork, turn off the highway as for the Torrey/Glacier Trail.2 miles up the road is the recently constructed Whiskey Basin trailhead, just past the Bighorn Sheep viewing platform.

Management and Regulations

The west side is managed by the Bridger Wilderness and National Forest. The east side is managed by the Fitzpatrick Wilderness of Shoshone National Forest. Wilderness regulations apply for camp locations, group size, campfire restrictions and ethics. There are no permit requirements in these two wildernesses. Grizzlies have re-migrated to this part of the range. Take necessary precautions. Food caching is prohibited. Minimum-impact camping and travel ethics are increasingly important at Double Lakes cirque. Backpacking stoves and water filtration are required. A fee-based campground exists at the Green River Lakes trailheads. There is undeveloped camping at the Torrey trailhead.

Seasonal Conditions

Summer season in the Wind Rivers is generally July-September with snow lingering on the higher trails into July. A snow storm is traditional between the last week of August and the second week of September. This is normally followed by a dry period with crisp temperatures for 1-4 weeks. On glacier routes crevasses are hidden in June and begin opening sometime in July. Because the Trail Lake/Torrey trailhead is below 8000' on the dry side of the range (the glaciers above absorb the majority of the storms, causing a rain shadow near Dubois), the trailhead can surprisingly be reached almost year round, the exception being during heavy spring storms. The downside for ski approaches is that several miles must often be hiked before significant snow is reached.
The approach is heavy with mosquitos June thru August. Water must be carried the first 10 miles of the Glacier Trail.
An area webcam depicts current conditions.

Guides & Outfitters

Downs is guided by Exum and JHMG. It has also been climbed by participants in NOLS courses.
Outfitters on both the west and east side approaches can support trips into this area via packing or supply drops.

Etymology & Trivia

John Downs was a Lander resident and early 20th century trophy hunter/guide who explored the area. The name is also attached to Downs Fork (of the Dinwoody).
First ascent by T.M. Bannon and survey crew during the 1906 topographical surveys.
The Downs Mountain 7.5 minute quad, in lieu of a Roads and Trails key, was published with the simple statement "No Roads or Trails in this Area". The only such topo in the contig, it illustrates the remoteness of this region. Nonetheless, use trails do exist in most of the drainages.
Downs has a dominance of over five miles (from a higher neighbor), is two miles from another thirteener and has 1500' of prominence.
The northwest summit goes by the name 'Northwest Peak'. Other subsidiary summits include Jeralee (12731), Gjetetind (13202), and a tower known as Rundblick (12058).
The 3 mile-long north ridge creates a shelter for the formation of Continental Glacier. Continental is the widest single (morainal) glacier in the American Rockies (4 miles wide) and is unique in that it laps over the continental divide. This location likely contributes to its designation as one of the fastest shrinking in the Rockies, as a recent expedition discovered.
Tarns on the Continental Glacier shelf are the highest bodies of water in the state.
Downs has the largest amount of land above 13k in the Central Rockies.
Below the Torrey Glacier is a nunatak with the reputation of having some of the best rock in the region. Spider Peak is a favorite of regional guides and wilderness climbing schools.
Downs is also the home of massive, iceberg-laden lakes including Downs, Bear, Rocking Horse and Daphne.
Bear Basin, below the west faces, is popular with hunting guides who survey the area not only for Rams but for Black Bears. It is difficult to reach.
The herd is reknowned to ram-trophy hunters and biologists alike and winters with other herds below snowline, adjacent to Dubois. It is the largest winter herd on the continent.
The summit cairn is several feet tall and has accumulated over the one originally built by Finis Mitchell.
The southernmost 13er on the Continental Divide is almost the exact same altitude.
No Mans Pass, the dip between the East Slope and Goat Flat is not used as a pass but as a saddle.
There are no goats on Goat Flat.

The Grasshopper jokulhlaup. In the summer of 2003, one end of the Grasshopper Glacier (near the head of Downs Fork), which has been recently receding, reached the point where it could no longer hold back the adjacent ice-lake. The end of the glacier burst (a jokulhlaup) and the lake water ran 2 miles down the glacier towards Downs Mountain, melting a trough and accumulating 800 million gallons of mud and water which crashed into the Downs Fork. The barrage of water, silt and debris descended for miles through the wilderness. It deposited mud into Dinwoody Lakes, and was registered in the Wind River itself. Unlike in other places around the world where this is happening (like the threats experienced in Macugnaga) there was no property destruction. Because of the natural destruction (on the sides of the canyon in some spots) this drainage is a more difficult route in places than it was previously. This is also the route to Bears Tooth. The glacial debris is currently apparent where the Glacier Trail crosses Downs Fork Meadows. There are several other glaciers in the Winds holding back lakes. In March 2005, $9 million was approved at the state level for a cloud-seeding study over the Winds to try to stabilize the glaciers.

Sources/Bibliography

Bonney, O.H. (1977). Guide to the Wyoming Mountains, 3rd Ed.; Swallow Press. Chicago, IL.

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