The town of Lander, Wyoming is something of a hub. Located on US Highway 287, where it winds through the Wind River Mountains, the town is the start/endpoint for several state highways and side roads that lead to some of my favorite locations. Among those are South Pass City, Atlantic City, Miner’s Delight, and Hudson.
Each of those places listed above is both scenic and historic. They’re all well worth a side trip, each for its own reasons. There’s a good chance I’ll be writing about them in the future. This article, however, is about another side road that leads to some of the most unique phenomema in the country.
This particular road is named for where it leads, as is the State Park, Sinks Canyon. Like many “off the main road” excursions, the trip is almost as interesting as the destination. It bears the highway number 131, and if you turn left at 5th and Main Street in Lander, then right on Fremont Street, you’re on the way.
It shares another trait with most “back roads”, that being the fact that it’s accessible by a few other routes. One of those is Louis Lake Loop Road, and if you’re driving up from the southwest part of the state, it’s absolutely worth the slower drive. It’s my favorite route, and if you’re familiar with my writing, you’ve heard about it before.
As the road leads you out of town, you’ll drive by some beautiful homes and further out, some ranches. Judging from what I see on today’s maps, there are more than the last time I drove the road. Other things have changed, too, but I’ll get to that in a bit.
Sinks Canyon State Park is popular for many reasons, including a sheer wall that attracts climbers from all over the world, as well as the locals. It also offers biking, hiking and camping, and one of the newer features is yurts that can be rented. Any of those accommodations you’d like to try needs to be reserved well ahead of time.
The feature that gives the canyon its name is a short walk from a parking lot and you can stop by a Visitor’s Center along the way to learn more about it. I’ll give you the short version here.
The Middle Fork of the Popo Agie (po-po-zshuh) River, which parallels the highway to this point, veers and disappears as it runs into a canyon wall. If the water is high, such as during the spring thaw, it seems to literally slam into the wall and go away. When the water is low, you can walk into the mouth of a cavern, where you can see it run underground. That spot is “The Sinks”.
The river reappears just a quarter-mile down the road, at a spot aptly named “The Rise”. It’s a deep, calm, warm pool that’s home to some of the biggest, heaviest Rainbow Trout you’ll ever see. In case you’re tempted, fishing is prohibited, and when I was last there, the resident Warden’s home was right next to the pond. If it’s any consolation, there were fish food dispensers, and you could toss the pellets to the fish, who’d gratefully swarm to them.
I’ll provide a link to the State Parks website at the end of this piece. For our purposes here, what you need to know is that my ex-wife Janie and I enjoyed visiting there, for the incredible scenery and the features I just described.
Since the park is well south of the town, we took the back roads to the places we camped and fished, rarely feeling the need to venture into Lander. There was one particular exception that turned out to be an interesting adventure. It’s also one that can never be repeated, nor can you enjoy it as we did.
We’d decided to spend a weekend fishing at and around Louis Lake. Just for fun, we decided to leave early enough to stop in Lander for dinner on the way. It meant driving a little further north, then doubling back by way of Sinks Canyon and camping there or above the canyon after following Louis Lake Road up to the top.
If you have a minute to look up the area on Google Maps, follow Sinks Canyon Road to the southwest from the campgrounds and you’ll find it becomes Louis Lake Road, just before it leads you through a series of switchbacks up the side of the canyon to the top. The views are incredible, and the lakes, streams and camping on top are absolutely worth it.
So, we left early and arrived in Lander in time. When we came to the intersection of 1st and Main Streets, the sign on a building there read “Sweetwater Grill”. Luck was on our side, and we only realized just how much after we walked in.
The main dining room was full, and full of live piano music as well. Our greeter offered to seat us in the small dining room next to the microbrewery. That was a no-brainer, and it got even better. The featured dinner item was roasted Cornish Hen on a bed of Rice Pilaf, with a dessert of Mandarin orange cheesecake, drizzled with dark chocolate sauce.
We both enjoyed an incredible meal and I ordered their house-brewed cider sampler, which turned out to be some of the best I’ve ever had, with an awesome view of their microbrewery operating on the other side of a glass wall. It was one of the experiences that encouraged me to take up home brewing years later. Pam, the good woman who puts up with me now, and I still enjoy it.
After dinner, we opted for camping down in the canyon and driving the switchbacks in the morning. I made a couple of stops along the river to offer a fly, but got no takers. The next day would prove to be much more fruitful, as our experiences in the area always were.
Time has moved on and brought change, as always. There’s a resort at Louis Lake with rental cabins and the campgrounds have grown. It won’t keep me from at least giving the area a try after Pam and I move back home to the mountains.
The signs at 1st and Main Street in Lander have changed, too. Sweetwater Grill is nowhere to be found. Instead, the Lander Bar and Gannet Grill have taken its place. The microbrewery is still there, but the menu features a variety of burgers.
Sadly, it appears the attitude of Lander residents has changed, as well. I’ve emailed the owners of the new establishment, explaining that I’d like to mention their businesses in a story about the town and asking what became of Sweetwater Grill. I contacted the Lander Chamber of Commerce, twice, with the same query. No replies have come from either source.
Fortunately, we can fish the canyon and the loop road without the need to visit the new businesses. Sadly, there will probably be no need for us to stop in Lander again. Nevertheless, if you’re in the area, I’d recommend taking the Loop Road and bringing along your fly gear.
As promised, here’s the site for the State Park.
