Shoshone National Forest

Set aside in 1891 as part of the Yellowstone Timberland Reserve, the wilderness that surrounds Dubois is the part of the first national forest in the United States. Sections of its vastness easily accessible from Dubois include four good regions for hiking, fishing, and other back-country activities:

  • Trail Lakes and Whiskey Basin: Three placid lakes strung out like beads on a necklace. Native American petroglyphs carved into the boulders. Bighorn sheep on the high peaks in autumn. A great hike up to a glacial lake less than one steep, rocky mile above the trailhead. Take Highway 26/287 east from Dubois for about 3½ miles to Whiskey Basin/Trail Lake Road on the right. The trailhead is about 8 miles up this gravel road.
  • Horse Creek area and Double Cabin: From a small campground deep in the wilderness along a shallow creek, two trails head north and another leads south, one to a petrified forest. To reach the trailhead at the Double Cabin campground, head north from town on Horse Creek Road and stay on Forest Road 285. The campground is 28 miles from town. Another campground and fishing area are at Horse Creek, only 12 miles along
  • Sheridan Creek: Popular with hunters, this camping area networked with old logging trails offers wonderful views of the craggy peaks of the Absaroka range to the north. Drive about 17 miles west of town on Highway 26/287 and look for Forest Road 532 heading off to the south.
  • Brooks Lake area: Here you can fish the quiet lake surrounded by a cathedral of granite peaks, or hike to two beautiful lakes high in the mountains. The four-mile round trip to Jade Lake is great for a family outing, or the trek up to Bonneville Pass, six miles out and back, leads to a high meadow that explodes with wildflowers throughout much of the summer. Take highway 26/287 about 23 miles west of Dubois to the Brooks Lake turnoff on the right. Follow the gravel road about 5 miles to the Brooks Lake campground for the Jade Lake trail. For the Bonneville Pass trailhead turn onto Forest Road #516 at about 4 miles along, and follow it to the small parking lot after less than 2 miles.