Sweetwater County High Point Trip Report

Pine Mountain (9550+ ft)

Date: Memorial Day 1998
Author: Dave Covill

We drove to Wyoming Wednesday eve, stopping in Sweetwater Co to visit Pine Mtn. at dusk. We took a wrong turn off the highway 430, then found the right one, about 5 miles from the CO line. It was signed "Pine Mtn. - 12 miles". It's actually 14.5 to the top. We drove in on dirt for 4.0 to a fork, then 10 along a ridge to the base of the summit area. Here there are a couple of switchbacks, and one was in trees facing NE, and of course was the only spot in a mile with snow.

We found an alternate route, what appeared to be an abandoned road, and we took it for 1/4 mile; 1 switchback of overgrown weeds and mud slumps, and it came out back on the good road 300' above the snow. We then drove along the top to the high point at the old tower concrete pad. It looked higher further along the rim (the road ran right along the edge) so we drove for a half mile, stopping to hand-level. It all appeared to be too close to tell, and we ended up deciding the tower was highest, even though there is a spot elevation 4' higher in the middle of the area in question.

We got out of there just as darkness fell.