Sinks Canyon

We are in Lander WY staying in the Frontier Lodge - a really nice (and cheap) rustic motel in the heart of downtown Lander. The temperature and the topography here is somewhere in between the extremes of Zion and Yellowstone - but extreme in its own right. The weather is hot but a beautiful cool breeze seems to always be blowing. The land is one part colorful mesa and another towering craggy pine covered mountain - really beautiful.

Today we explored Sinks Canyon. The area gets its name from a geologic phenomenon in which the Popo Agie River vanishes into the side of a limestone mountain into a cavern which looked similar to the "magic water spot" in Lost-this area is the Sinks. The water then reappears at the Rise, about half a mile down the canyon. They have done dye testing to prove the same water comes out that goes in, but takes 2 hours to emerge and in higher volume. They hypothesize that there is a series of tortuous underground caverns where other water sources combine with the Popo Agie and then reemerge.

The Sinks



















The Rise (from above) - Trout are the specs















The canyon has beautiful rock climbing on dolomite cliffs high above the river. Jeanette and I climbed there today and had a really great time. It is moderate sport climbing on super fun routes.