Pinedale is a small ranching town on the western slope of the Wind River Range in western Wyoming. It serves as the main gateway to the Wind River Mountains, one of the finest backcountry wilderness areas in the lower 48 — a landscape of granite peaks, glacial lakes, and long trails that sees a fraction of the traffic of nearby Yellowstone or Jackson Hole.
The Museum of the Mountain Man in town tells the story of the fur trade rendezvous that took place near here in the 1830s and 1840s, when trappers, traders, and Native Americans gathered annually on the Green River. The museum is well done and worth a stop.
Pinedale is also a starting point for trips to the Bridger-Teton National Forest and Fremont Lake, one of the deepest natural lakes in Wyoming. The Wind River Range itself, visible from town, offers some of the finest wilderness backpacking in the lower 48. The town has a handful of outfitters, a few good places to eat, and the unpretentious character of a working Wyoming community.