Fishing in Boulder, Wyoming

Boulder, Wyoming sits at the edge of the Wind River Range, and the fishing around it leans heavily toward high-country lakes rather than rivers. The one river option in the listings, Stokes Crossing, gives you moving-water access, but the bulk of the 31 active listings here are alpine and subalpine lakes scattered across the range — Cross Lake, Monroe Lake, Blue Lake, Big Sandy Lake, Black Joe Lake, and a couple dozen more. Most of these require at least some hiking to reach, which means lighter pressure than you'd find on roadside water. Big Sandy Lake is one of the more accessible destinations with a maintained trailhead, while spots like Diamond Lake, V Lake, and the Frozen Lakes sit deeper in and reward the extra effort with less competition. The fish species you'll encounter depend on the specific water, but cutthroat trout are common throughout the Wind Rivers at elevation. Expect short windows at the higher lakes — ice-out can run into July in a heavy snow year, and conditions can change fast by September. If you're planning a multi-day trip, the concentration of lakes around Jensen Meadows and East Park Lakes makes it worth setting up a base camp rather than day-hiking to a single destination.