Escaping The Nutshell

On September 25, 2026 we hiked from the Lewis Lake Trailhead (10689 ft, 3258 m) to the summit of Medicine Bow Peak (12018 ft, 3663 m), the highest peak in the Snowy Range. The one way distance is about 2 miles (3.2 km) with an altitude gain of 1329 ft (405 m).

Besides YouTube, this video is also available at archive.org.

On Sept 24, 2026 we drove from Encampment, WY to Battle Pass then parked a little west of the pass and hiked up Bridger Peak Road (Forest Rd 412, a 4WD road) for about 6 miles to the summit of Bridger Peak.

From Battle Pass it’s about 1/3 mile west to an unmarked dirt road to the right which in 100 feet opens up to a dirt parking area with a sign on the west side that is the Bridger Peak Road Historical Marker on Google Maps. You can see where we started on our GPS tracks.

We followed Bridger Peak Road (FR 412) all the way to the summit. The Continental Divide Trail roughly parallels this road to the summit, which is another option.

Besides YouTube, this video is also available at archive.org.

On Sept 23, 2026 we drove the 72 miles (115 km) from Aspen Campground near Walden, CO to Encampment River Campground outside Encampment, WY with a stop at the Carbon County Visitor Center in Riverside, WY. Gary White at the visitor center was friendly and informative on historical and camping matters.

View the route map.

Besides YouTube, this video is also available at archive.org.

On September 22, 2026 we hiked from Cameron Pass at 10276 ft (3132 m) to the top of North Diamond Peak at 11857 ft (3614 m) then to South Diamond Peak at 11701 ft (3566 m). Our distance travelled from Cameron Pass to the North Diamond Peak summit was about 1.5 miles with an elevation gain of 1581 ft (482 m). The distance from North Diamond Peak to South Diamond Peak was about 0.6 miles (1.0 km).

View the GPS tracks.

Besides YouTube, this video is also available at archive.org.