Popular alpine basin beneath Gannett Peak.
“A basin of alpine lakes under the Continental Divide, in a wilderness that asks nothing of you at the trailhead and everything of you after it.”
Plan your Bridger-Teton National Forest / Wind River Range trip here, then get your permit from the agency.
Walk-up permit
How to get Titcomb
Titcomb is issued by the agency rather than through a booking calendar. Their page has the current process and any dates.
Official permit pagePlanning another trip? See the permits we alert on.
How to get a Titcomb permit
- Permit required
- No
- Type
- Overnight
- Location
- Wind River Range, Wyoming, WY
How this permit is issued
Get this permit in person at the trailhead or ranger station, or by phone.
Official permit page →Titcomb pro tips
- No permit for an individual trip. Organized groups and overnight stock users need a free permit from the Pinedale Ranger District, applications from April 1
- Read Forest Order 04-03-328 if you are out longer than two weeks. The 14-day limit is per five-mile radius, not per campsite
- Bridger-Teton lists no potable water in this wilderness. Plan to treat everything
- Pinedale Ranger District: 307-367-4326
- If your route crosses the Continental Divide you are on the Shoshone National Forest and under different regulations. Bridger-Teton says so on its own wilderness page
More on Titcomb: Live availability activity
How much a Titcomb permit costs
Titcomb permit fee: No fee. Individual backpacking in the Bridger Wilderness needs no permit.
The Titcomb hike
- Route Type
- Out & Back
- Duration
- 3-5 days
- Difficulty
- Strenuous
A basin of alpine lakes under the Continental Divide, in a wilderness that asks nothing of you at the trailhead and everything of you after it.
About this permit
Titcomb Basin sits in the Bridger Wilderness on the Bridger-Teton National Forest, in the Wind River Range. There is no quota, no lottery and no entry fee for an individual backpacking trip.
Bridger-Teton requires free permits for organized groups and for recreational livestock users in the Bridger Wilderness, and only accepts applications beginning April 1 for the current year. Applications go to the Pinedale Ranger District, which can be reached at 307-367-4326.
The wilderness itself runs 80 miles along the Continental Divide and holds the headwaters of the Green River. Bridger-Teton counts 600 miles of trail, hundreds of high alpine lakes and glaciers, with elevations above 13,000 feet, and lists potable water as not available anywhere in the system.
The route
This is an unpermitted trip in an unstaffed wilderness, which is a different kind of planning problem from a lottery. Bridger-Teton requires free permits only for organized group use and overnight stock use, applied for through the Pinedale Ranger District from April 1 each year. Everything else is on you.
The forest-wide occupancy order is the rule most people never read: Order 04-03-328 prohibits camping within the same five-mile radius for more than 14 days in any 30-day period, and returning to that radius within 30 days after hitting the limit. It runs to July 1, 2030.
Bridger-Teton also warns that visitors to the Bridger Wilderness may cross onto the Shoshone National Forest, and to be aware of changing regulations when they cross the Continental Divide.
Why it matters
Bridger-Teton describes the Bridger Wilderness as extending 80 miles along the Continental Divide and holding the headwaters of the Green River, with hundreds of high alpine lakes, glaciers and wide sweeping valleys, and 600 miles of trail. Titcomb is where that description stops being general.
The feeling
Granite on both sides, water down the middle, and elevations that Bridger-Teton itself sums up as ranging above 13,000 feet with winter always just a breath away.
Titcomb hike highlights
- No permit and no fee for a normal backpacking trip
- A free group-use permit requirement if your party is an organized group, applied for from April 1 through the Pinedale Ranger District
- A 14-day-in-30 camping limit within any five-mile radius, under forest-wide Order 04-03-328
- No potable water at the trailhead or in the wilderness
- The possibility of crossing onto the Shoshone National Forest, where the regulations change
How hard the Titcomb hike is
- Physical DemandFitness and endurance required4/5
- Technical SkillClimbing, scrambling, or specialized skills1/5
- Exposure RiskSteep dropoffs and fall potential3/5
- NavigationRoute finding and trail clarity3/5
- CommitmentDifficulty of bailing out mid-route4/5
Best for: Backpackers who can plan an unregulated trip properly, which is harder than it sounds.
Recommended experience: Multi-day travel at altitude and self-sufficiency a long way from help.
Not recommended for: Anyone treating "no permit needed" as "no preparation needed".
When to hike Titcomb
Best time to visit
Mid-July through early September, once the high country has melted out. Either side of that window, expect what Bridger-Teton describes: elevations above 13,000 feet, with the combination of elevation and potential cold creating a truly wild feeling.
- Peak
- Mid-July through August
- Shoulder
- Early July and September
Spring
Snowbound at elevation and high water on the creeks below.
Crowd level · low
- Advantage: Solitude
- Challenge: Snow
- Challenge: High water
- Challenge: Road access
Summer
The whole usable season, compressed into about eight weeks.
Crowd level · high
- Advantage: Passes clear
- Advantage: Long days
- Advantage: Everything is reachable
- Challenge: Afternoon storms above treeline
- Challenge: Mosquitoes in July
- Challenge: Trailhead parking
Fall
September is cold, clear and quiet until the first storm.
Crowd level · moderate
- Advantage: No bugs
- Advantage: Stable weather most years
- Advantage: Fewest people of the good months
- Challenge: Hard freezes
- Challenge: Short days
- Challenge: First snow arrives without much notice
Winter
Full winter conditions with no maintained access.
Crowd level · low
- Advantage: Complete solitude
- Challenge: Extreme cold
- Challenge: Avalanche terrain
- Challenge: Unplowed roads
Titcomb photography guide
Golden Hour
First and last light on the Divide, which runs the length of this wilderness.
Best Light
Cold clear September mornings, when the lakes go flat and hold the peaks.
Beat the Crowds
There is no quota to hide behind. Go midweek, go in September, and walk one more hour than the party in front of you.
Classic Shots
- Alpine lakes stacked up the basin with the Divide behind
- Glacier ice under a summer sky
- Camp dwarfed by granite
- The Green River headwaters low down on the approach
Titcomb rules, gear and safety
Gear checklist
Required- Water filter or treatment: Bridger-Teton lists no potable water in this wilderness
- Bear-resistant food storage
- Layers for cold; elevations here run above 13,000 feet and Bridger-Teton describes winter as always a breath away
- Map and compass for a 600-mile trail system with no permit desk to orient you
Recommended gear
- Trekking poles
- A satellite messenger
- Traction if you are going early or late in the short season
Rules & regulations
- 01No permit is required for an individual or family backpacking trip. Bridger-Teton National Forest states that permits are required for group use and overnight stock use in the Bridger Wilderness
- 02Group-use and recreational-livestock permits are free, and the Pinedale Ranger District only accepts applications beginning April 1 for the current year
- 03Forest Order 04-03-328 caps camping at 14 days in any 30-day period within the same five-mile radius. After that you have to move outside that radius for 30 days
- 04Standard Wilderness Act rules apply: no motorized or mechanized equipment, including bicycles, carts and drones
Hazards & considerations
- Altitude. The Bridger Wilderness runs above 13,000 feet and the trails spend most of their length high
- Weather that turns over fast. Bridger-Teton describes the combination of elevation and potential cold as creating a truly wild feeling, which is a polite way of saying summer snow happens
- No potable water at the trailheads. Bridger-Teton lists it as unavailable at both the wilderness and at Big Sandy Trailhead, so everything gets filtered
- Long drives on unpaved county and Forest Service roads to reach the trailheads
- Bears. This is the Wind Rivers and food storage matters
Safety & planning
Emergency Info
Emergency contacts, ranger station locations, and satellite communicator tips for Titcomb.
Food Storage
Bear canister requirements, approved container lists, and rental locations for this permit.
Gear Checklist: Required and recommended gear for Titcomb · Shuttle Services: Trailhead transportation options · Guide Services: Experienced wilderness guides
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Titcomb FAQ
Do I need a permit to backpack in Titcomb Basin?
Not for an individual or family trip. Bridger-Teton National Forest requires free permits only for organized group use and overnight stock use in the Bridger Wilderness, and only accepts those applications beginning April 1 for the current year through the Pinedale Ranger District at 307-367-4326.
Is there a camping limit in the Bridger Wilderness?
Yes. Forest Order 04-03-328 prohibits camping within the same five-mile radius for more than 14 days in any 30-day period, and prohibits returning to camp anywhere in that radius within 30 days after reaching the limit. The order runs to July 1, 2030 and applies forest-wide.
Is there drinking water in the Bridger Wilderness?
Bridger-Teton National Forest lists potable water as not available in the Bridger Wilderness. Everything you drink out there is water you treat yourself.
How big is the Bridger Wilderness?
Bridger-Teton describes it as extending 80 miles along the Continental Divide, holding the headwaters of the Green River, with hundreds of high alpine lakes and glaciers and 600 miles of trail. Elevations range above 13,000 feet.
Titcomb trail conditions and trip reports
Trail Conditions
No active conditions reported
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Questions
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Trip Reports
Write ReportAlternatives to a Titcomb permit
- Similar ExperienceNo permit needed
Cirque of the Towers
The southern Winds equivalent, reached from Big Sandy Trailhead, with the same permit situation and a granite amphitheatre at the end of it.
Tradeoffs
More people, and an additional camping setback order around Lonesome Lake on the Shoshone side.
- Easier AlternativeNo permit needed
Any of the Bridger Wilderness's 600 miles of trail
Bridger-Teton counts 600 miles of trail and hundreds of alpine lakes across 80 miles of the Continental Divide.
Tradeoffs
You lose the name recognition and gain the solitude that the name costs you.
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