Bastion Peak

This article is about the mountain in Wyoming. For the mountain in Canada, see Bastion Peak (Canada).

Bastion Peak
Bastion Peak Location in Wyoming Show map of Wyoming Bastion Peak Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Highest point
Elevation	13,500 ft (4,100 m)[1]
Prominence	734 ft (224 m)[1]
Coordinates	43°12′22″N 109°39′54″W[2]
Geography
Location	Fremont / Sublette counties, Wyoming, U.S.
Parent range	Wind River Range
Topo map	USGS Gannett Peak

Bastion Peak, at 13,500 feet (4,100 m), is located in the Wind River Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming.^[3] The peak is the ninth-highest in the range and the tenth-highest in Wyoming.^[4][5] The summit is located on the Continental Divide and the eastern slopes of the mountain are covered by a section of Gannett Glacier, the largest glacier in the American Rocky Mountains. An arête to the northeast leads to Bastion Peak-Northeast Peak, which, at 13,476 ft (4,107 m), is also one of the highest points in Wyoming.^[4]

Hazards

Main articles: Hazards of outdoor recreation and Mountaineering § Hazards

Encountering bears is a concern in the Wind River Range.^[6] There are other concerns as well, including bugs, wildfires, adverse snow conditions and nighttime cold temperatures.^[7]

Importantly, there have been notable incidents, including accidental deaths, 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,^[8] 2007 (involving an experienced NOLS leader),^[9] 2015^[10] and 2018.^[11] Other incidents include a seriously injured backpacker being airlifted near SquareTop Mountain^[12] in 2005,^[13] and a fatal hiker incident (from an apparent accidental fall) in 2006 that involved state search and rescue.^[14] The U.S. Forest Service does not offer updated aggregated records on the official number of fatalities in the Wind River Range.

References

1. "Bastion Peak, Wyoming". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
2. "Bastion Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
3. Gannett Peak, WY (Map). TopoQwest (United States Geological Survey Maps). Retrieved May 26, 2013.
4. "Wind River Range". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
5. "Wyoming 13,000-foot Peaks". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
6. Staff (April 24, 2017). "Bear Safety in Wyoming's Wind River Country". WindRiver.org. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
7. Ballou, Dawn (July 27, 2005). "Wind River Range condition update - Fires, trails, bears, Continental Divide". PineDaleOnline News. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
8. Staff (1993). "Falling Rock, Loose Rock, Failure to Test Holds, Wyoming, Wind River Range, Seneca Lake". American Alpine Club. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
9. MacDonald, Dougald (August 14, 2007). "Trundled Rock Kills NOLS Leader". Climbing. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
10. Staff (December 9, 2015). "Officials rule Wind River Range climbing deaths accidental". Casper Star-Tribune. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
11. Dayton, Kelsey (August 24, 2018). "Deadly underestimation". WyoFile News. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
12. Funk, Jason (2009). "Squaretop Mountain Rock Climbing". Mountain Project. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
13. Staff (July 22, 2005). "Injured man rescued from Square Top Mtn - Tip-Top Search & Rescue helps 2 injured on the mountain". PineDaleOnline News. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
14. Staff (September 1, 2006). "Incident Reports - September, 2006 - Wind River Search". WildernessDoc.com. Archived from the original on January 27, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2022.