Hiking Around Tensleep Wyoming

The lovely Wyoming town of Tensleep lies in the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains along Hwy. 16 and offers numerous hiking and walking opportunities. The name derives from the traveling route of the Sioux Indians who found it to be halfway or "ten sleeps" between their camps.

Tensleep offers both basin as well as mountain hiking. To enjoy some of the desert's best treasures check out Castle Gardens to the west over a 12-mile length of dirt road. Here you'll find nature's carvings. Wind and water have shaped sandstone badlands into fanciful shapes.

If you want a mountain walk or hike, drive east up Hwy. 16. Six miles from town you'll find the Tensleep Preserve. It offers a 12-mile experience along Canyon Creek and can be negotiated by hikers of varying ages and abilities. It is also a great place for bird watchers to search out hawks and falcons.

For a Bighorn trail experience continue driving up Hwy. 16 through beautiful Tensleep Canyon. There are numerous off-road places where you may stop and focus on short walks to view the canyon's beauty. Eighteen miles from Tensleep you can find a trail leading to Mirror and Lost Twin Lakes. Turn at marker 44 left to West Tensleep Lake Road, number 27, and continue for around 7 miles until you reach the campground and Middle Tensleep Trailhead.

This trail can be treated like most of those in the Bighorns in terms of difficulty. Hikers wanting a short and easy experience can go partway up through the forest and turn back before or during switchbacks leading to the creek. After crossing the creek the trail becomes steeper.

If you're a seasoned hiker you can do the round trip of a bit over 10 miles to Lost Twin Lakes or a gentler walk of around 3 miles round trip to Mirror Lake. You can camp on its west side.

If you decide to be more adventurous and do the round trip to Lost Twin Lakes, you'll have a view of gorgeous Tensleep Creek. If you decide to reach the upper lakes, you will need to be adept at crossing another creek first. Its water levels can vary according to season and weather, as is the case with all mountain and desert streams. After crossing you'll climb south for one and a half miles to reach the first lake from which you are free to expand your horizons by climbing the area cliffs or rest and enjoy the view.