Mitchell Peak () is located in the southern
Wind River Range
The Wind River Range (or "Winds" for short) is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in western Wyoming in the United States. The range runs roughly NW–SE for approximately . The Continental Divide follows the crest of the range and incl ...
in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Wyoming
Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...
. Mitchell Peak is on the southern side of the
Cirque of the Towers
The Cirque of the Towers is located in the Wind River Range Wyoming, U.S., part of which is in the Bridger Wilderness in Bridger-Teton National Forest, while the remainder is in the Popo Agie Wilderness in Shoshone National Forest. Located in ...
, a popular climbing area.
Mitchell Peak sits along the
Continental Divide, less than northwest of
Dog Tooth Peak. The peak was named after
Finis Mitchell a respected forester and mountain climber of the Wind River Range. In recognition of his many accomplishments, the U.S. Congress named the peak after Mitchell while he was still livin
Hazards
Encountering
Bear danger, bears is a concern in the Wind River Range.
There are other concerns as well, including
bugs,
wildfire
A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identi ...
s,
adverse snow conditions and
nighttime cold temperatures.
Importantly, there have been notable incidents, including
accidental death
An accidental death is an unnatural death that is caused by an accident, such as a slip and fall, traffic collision, or accidental poisoning. Accidental deaths are distinguished from death by natural causes, disease, and from intentional hom ...
s, due to
falls from steep cliffs (a
misstep could be fatal in this
class 4/5 terrain) and due to
falling rocks, over the years, including 1993,
2007 (involving an experienced
NOLS leader),
2015
and 2018.
Other incidents include a seriously injured backpacker being airlifted near
SquareTop Mountain in 2005,
and a fatal hiker incident (from an apparent
accidental fall) in 2006 that involved state
search and rescue.
The
U.S. Forest Service does not offer updated aggregated records on the official number of fatalities in the Wind River Range.
References
External links
General Information on the Wind River Range
Climbing the Wind River Rangemore
Shoshone National Forest Federal website
Continental Divide Trail information
Bridger–Teton National Forest
Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
Landforms of Fremont County, Wyoming
Mountain ranges of Wyoming
Mountains of Fremont County, Wyoming
Mountains of Sublette County, Wyoming
Mountains of Wyoming
Ranges of the Rocky Mountains
Shoshone National Forest
{{Wyoming-geo-stub