Hiking Popo Agie Falls Trail
When we first visited Lander, Wyoming, it rained and I mean, rained a lot. We were not able to hike cause of the rain, plus we just had a 1 night stay in our RV as we were destined for somewhere else. But our second stay was a little longer, and without rain. It was beautiful during our 3 day stay, and with chilly weather as it was the fall season. I was on the hunt for a hiking trail for our short stay, using my favorite app, AllTrails. More details about the trail at then end of the blog. Come along with us on this photogenic journey of hiking the Popo Agie Falls Trail!
Popo Agie Falls Trail (can you pronounce “Agie” correctly?) is a trail located just past the Sinks Canyon State Park and free to use. Ample parking awaits you with a map board and vaulted restrooms. Once you park, cross the street to start the trail. I was excited to hike this trail as the leaves were changing into brilliant colors of yellow, gold, a little orange and some green still clinging onto summer memories, getting ready to give it away for autumn colors.
The trail starts on soft dirt, with some rocks about the size of your shoe popping up here and there, where it can keep you watchful on the trail below. We walked near the creek, a full size creek with water, but a lot of trees covered it up. We would veer off the trail just to see the creek for photos, but we were blocked by the trees or large boulders nearby. But I knew we would see the creek soon.
So we plugged along, with the trail slowly ascending and bringing some breathlessness for us. With the creek far below, we kept climbing up, heading toward the waterfall we came to see. The leaves were gorgeous! I took many photos along the trail, especially in the shade as photos without the sun’s glare make them beautiful. There is plenty of exposure along the trail, especially as we started to ascend. Goodbye to the protection of a small forest and hello high desert terrain.
The sound of the waterfall was getting closer as the roaring sound rang in my ears. I will be honest with you and say how excited I was to take photos of a waterfall. I love waterfalls! They are so amazing and wonderous to view and feel the impact a waterfall can make on the earth. Think about it, water can shape our landscape to however it wants to. It has the freedom to sway here and there, pour itself over a cliff, over rocks, over banks, showing its power to you and I.
We eventually made it to the top and edge, as the waterfall poured into a narrow canyon and the trail put us near the edge. There are a few other waterfalls across from the hiking path, a nice distance away where bringing binoculars or looking at the waterfalls with a good camera lens will be helpful. But those are not the ones I will be viewing. My husband decided he wanted to stay in the area we stopped at, but I wanted to continue on, a little way to get closer to the waterfall. I walked into an immense amount of fall foliage (back to a forest!), not only on the trees but also on the ground. I had a short walk to another edge closer to the waterfall, but I had an unexpected guest.
A snake!!!!
A skinny black snake must have heard me walking toward the waterfall as I saw it slithering away, and I let out a barely heard gasp. The snake did not hesitate its escape, and it was a LONG snake! Once it disappeared I felt safe to go forward. You just never know about snakes! There is a wooden bench you can sit down to view the waterfall, gather your thoughts, or rest in the powerful sound of the waterfall.
I walked a little more as there are several paths to adventure on past the waterfall. I continued to take photos of the fall colors since I live in the desert and seeing fall foliage is not something I can normally see. After taking my multitude of photos and breathing deeply of the clean, fresh air, it was time to go down. I met up with my husband and as I always do, I do one last look back and see what I did not see.
I just wanted to soak in the memory of visiting this amazing trail as I knew we would not be back. Turning around with a resolution, we went down, down, down. Sometimes it is easier to go down than up, depending how steep the trail is. Still, look for rocks protruding from the ground as you view the creek coming closer to you.
Before I knew it, we were back on ground level, walking back to the parking lot, my heart full of happiness as I walked an amazing trail with so much beauty all around, plus the sunny day helped it to be a remarkable day.
DETAILS FOR POPO AGIE FALLS TRAIL:
This is an out and back trail, meaning you will walk the same trail going forward and returning. It is a seasonal trail as this place receives a LOT of snow, but you may be able to ski there. You are at a high elevation, close to Lander, Wyoming, and you might lose your breath more easily hiking this trail, so caution is advised if you have breathing problems.
A highly scenic trail, with lots of trees and a nearby creek, with a rewarding waterfall at top. If you like to take photos, I would recommend either going in the morning or late afternoon, toward the evening. It would help your waterfall photos to be better without the sun’s glare on them. If you are visiting Lander, Wyoming, I highly recommend this hiking trail for its beauty, its simplicity, its challenges and its rewards.
Here are the details:
Round trip: 3.3 miles
Elevation: 682 feet
Level: Easy
Nature Finds: Waterfall(s), lots of trees
What I packed for hiking:
Waterpack
Comfortable shoes and socks. I have hiking shoes that are especially made for my feet from Tortoise and Hare, in Glendale, Arizona.
Comfortable clothes
Canon T5i and Samsung Galaxy S20 fe 5g, for those amazing photos!
Snack, always important!
Trail map
If you have a chance, visit downtown Lander in Wyoming. It is surrounding by sweeping mountains, absolutely amazing scenery!
Have you been on the Popo Agie Falls Trail? Share with us your experiences on this hiking trail!
