Jeff, Kate, and I went to Wind Rivers, Wyoming, for Father’s Day with Scott in the forefront of our minds, as always. I’m on my own side quest, visiting all the places that made Scott feel most alive. When I’m in the mountains, or anywhere he loved, I feel closest to him. So when we were making Father’s Day plans, I recommended Wind Rivers. It met all the Father’s Day requirements: nature and fishing. This post isn’t only about our trip; it’s also going to share the details of the trip Scott never got around to posting about. So really, it’s the tale of two trips, and two very different ways to explore Wind Rivers.
Scott went to Wind Rivers over Labor Day 2025. The trip was planned with his buddy Parker. However, with Scott being Scott, there was a last-minute addition of Tristan, another ISU student. Post-trip, Scott called immediately with the report. He told me he wanted it to be our next backpacking trip together, and that maybe Dad would want to come too, because it was “the best fishing of his life.” Of course, on that call, he also talked about the amazing views, the jagged mountains (I have a thing for jagged peaks), and the wildlife. He quickly sent me a picture of a moose wading in a stream. I’ll do my best to share the details of his trip based on our chats and the time we spent with Parker over Father’s Day weekend.
The trio took off from ISU, which made for a much shorter drive. As they cruised through Alpine, Scott insisted they stop at every fly shop. I’m sure he charmed the owners at each one 🙂 Scott described Pinedale as a cool town that felt like Jackson Hole must have, 20 years ago. I’d say that’s pretty darn accurate. The town’s slogan is “All the civilization you need.” There are just a couple of restaurants, one grocery store, and very few souvenir shops. The town is amazingly well-kept and clean, with rivers and paths everywhere. There isn’t an ounce of “boujee” to it, so I understand why Scott thought we’d love it.
After hitting every fly shop in town, they drove another hour or two to the base of the Wind Rivers. They planned to camp overnight so they could hit the trail for Cirque of the Towers — a trail over 23 miles, marked “Strenuous” on AllTrails. It climbs to 11,000 feet across open ridges, boulder fields, alpine shores, and even a few snowfields, even over Labor Day weekend. I’m not sure this would have ever been a mom-and-son trip, but I appreciate his faith in me.
The plan was to hike 10 miles a day, but according to Parker, there were way too many fishing stops to make that happen, a true testament to Scott enjoying the moment and whatever was right in front of him. I’m not sure how many miles they actually covered, but my guess is at least 20 over the long weekend. It was an epic weekend for Scott and his friends, with stories we only recently heard. For instance, we learned they “cowboy camped” the entire trip, and Tristan didn’t even bring a sleeping bag. For those not familiar, “cowboy camping” means you sleep under the stars with no tent. It was something Scott learned to love as a rafting guide. This mom does not “cowboy camp,” as you will soon learn, as I share our trip to Wind Rivers.
Less than two months after we lost Scott, we planned our Father’s Day weekend. Knowing we weren’t at 100%, and that Jeff and Kate aren’t exactly fans of backpacking, I planned a different kind of trip. We booked a cabin in Boulder, researched the best fishing spots, and headed out. It’s an eight-hour drive from Boise, and a genuinely beautiful one. We stopped at the Taco Bus in Alpine along the way, but mostly just enjoyed the views, following the river and the mountains the whole drive.
We arrived at our cabin, which was absolutely perfect (we found it on Airbnb). I did a little solo exploring and will confess I was a bit disappointed by how far we were from the mountain range. But I reset my expectations, came back to the cabin, and we headed out to fish. We hit up Boulder Lake for the prime dusk bite. It was absolutely beautiful, but we didn’t catch anything. In the lake’s defense, we were only there for a couple of hours. We later learned two things: we should’ve come two weeks later, and we need to walk more. Still, the sunset and the views were breathtaking, so no complaints there.
Kate made it clear that her hiking limit was six miles, so I found a hike that met both her mileage requirement and her interest in fishing: the Boulder Creek, Lake Christina, and Lake Victor loop. We learned from some backpackers that Lake Christina was going off with fish, but sadly, it was nine miles each way — so now I know exactly which trail I want for one of my girls’ backpacking trips 🙂 We enjoyed hiking up the creek and stopping to fish along the way. The river was running a bit high, and once again, we heard we were about two weeks off from prime timing. Lesson learned, but we still loved the hike.
That evening, we met up with Parker, one of Scott’s adventure buddies, at Wind River Brewing Company. We’d originally planned to go to Pitchfork Fondue, but Wind Rivers lived up to its name — since Pitchfork is outdoor-only, the evening windstorm canceled those plans. We were all a little disappointed, but Wind River Brewing Company has an amazing strawberry salad topped with shrimp, so it worked out fine. If craft beer is your thing, it’s a must-stop. We closed the place down at the very late hour of 9pm.
Sunday morning, Parker met us at the cabin before heading out to New Fork Lake for fishing and hiking. We took the New Fork Lake Trail, and I loved it. It starts off through shaded trees before opening up onto the lake, and once you pass the lake, the trail follows the river. We stopped and fished the river, sadly, no luck there either. However, the views and the company were amazing so it was well worth the extra steps
We finally gave in, threw on some PowerBait, and got our fish at the lake. And of course, Caprisuns were had for all to celebrate Scott. If you know, you know 🙂
We headed back to Boise Sunday afternoon, already knowing we’ll be back. There’s so much more we want to explore and next time, we’re timing it for prime fishing season.