Community Profile
Pinedale, Wyoming
Pinedale is the Gateway to the Bridger Wilderness
and the Wind River Mountains
See the Sublette County Community Partnership for more demographics information about Pinedale and Sublette County

Pinedale Population: Around 1,400 Elevation: 7,175 feet

Location: Western Wyoming on the western side of the Wind River Mountain Range, south of Jackson Hole, north of Rock Springs, east of Big Piney, 2 hours south of Yellowstone National Park.

Distances:
  Jackson Hole-78 miles north (about 1-1/4 hours)
  Yellowstone National Park-130 miles north (about 2 hours)
  Rock Springs-100 miles south (about 1-1/2 hours)
  Salt Lake City-237 southwest (about 4 hours)

Annual Events:
  -January/February International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race (IPSSSDR)
  -March Ice Fishing Derby on Fremont Lake
  -April Aniel Daniel Chili Cook-Off
  -May Museum & Golf Course open, Soda Lake opens for fishing, Lakes thaw, Brandings
  -June Hiking & fishing in high country, Bondurant Barbecue, Cuttings, Ropings, Rodeos, Kid's Fishing Day
  -July 4th of July Pinedale parade-picnic-fireworks, Big Piney Chuckwagon Days, Daniel Old Timer's Picnic
  -July Green River Rendezvous & Pageant (Always the 2nd weekend in July)
  -August Sailing Regatta on Fremont Lake, Little Buckaroo Rodeo, Sublette County Fair, LaBarge Fest
  -September-November Fall hunting for elk, moose, deer & antelope
  -November Black Tie & Blues (Pinedale Fine Arts Council fundraiser)
  -December-March Snowmobiling, Skiing, Ice Hockey & Ice Skating, Ice Fishing

Local Attractions:
  Museum of the Mountain Man-Home of Jim Bridger's rifle, fur trade & Plains Indian exhibits
  White Pine Resort and Ski Area-Downhill ski resort just 10 miles from Pinedale
  Rendezvous Meadows Golf Course-18 hole designed 9 hole course
  Wind River Mountains & Bridger Wilderness-15 of Wyoming's 16 highest peaks
  Gannett Peak-Wyoming's highest peak 13,804'
  Cirque of the Towers-Hard rock technical climber's mecca & spectacular scenery
  Fremont Lake & Skyline Drive-Wyoming's 2nd largest lake & beautiful view of the Wind River Mountains
  Bridger-Teton National Forest-Hundreds of miles of trails, streams, and forest land
  Green River & Green River Lakes-Fantastic fishing & miles of hiking trails
  Continental Divide Snowmobile Trail-Goes right through Pinedale

Area Recreation: Wilderness escapes, fishing, camping, backpacking & hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, golf, wildlife viewing, downhill skiing, x-country skiing, snowmobiling, ice fishing, ice hockey... 

Wildlife: Elk, moose, deer, antelope, grizzly & black bear, mountain lion, wolves
Fish: Rainbow, brook, golden, mackinaw, native cutthroat & brown trout, grayling 

Records:
  Green River Lake: Brook trout, 9.69 lbs, 24.5"
  Meadow Lake: Grayling, 2.36 lbs, 19.63"
  Burnt Lake: Rainbow trout, 23 lbs, 25.5"
  Native Lake: Cutthroat trout, 15 lbs, 32"
  Cook's Lake: Golden trout, 11.25 lbs, 28" (this is a world record)

Interesting Facts:
  -There isn't a stop light in the entire county.
  -Over 80% of the county is public land (BLM, National Forest & State).
  -Pinedale is the county seat for Sublette County.
  -Sublette County has a little over 1% of Wyoming's total population.
  -County population density is 1.2 people per square mile.
  -There are some 1,300 lakes, hundreds of miles of hiking trails & fishing streams in the Bridger Wilderness.
  -Gannett Peak, Wyoming's highest peak at 13,804 feet, is in the Bridger Wilderness.
  -The largest active glacial fields in the continental US are in the Bridger-Teton National Forest.

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Crime: Sublette County is fortunate to have a very low crime rate. The county has Enhanced 911 and a computer system used to assist fire, medical and law enforcement for emergency dispatch. Law enforcement services are provided county-wide by the Sublette County Sheriff's Office. There are no local town police departments. Programs are in place for Ranch Watch, child ID and fingerprinting, McGruff child safety, D.A.R.E drug awareness, citizen's academy, business legal seminars, and vacation watch. The newly remodeled jail facility can hold up to 50 inmates.

Elevation: 7,175 feet (town)

Emergency Services: County Sheriff, Volunteer Fire and Ambulance, Enhanced 911

Housing: Rentals are scarce. Property prices are increasing steadily due to the natural gas development near Pinedale. Several local real estate agencies do property management for rentals. Available housing is also listed in the classified ads of the local newspapers each week.

Lodging: Pinedale has a variety of estabilishments for overnight lodging. Large motels include a Best Western, The Lodge at Pinedale (formerly a Super 8 motel), the Baymont Inn, and a new Hampton Inn as large chain hotels, all located on the west end of Pinedale. These offer the most rooms, pools, hot tubs, exercise rooms, business services, continental breakfast options.. A variety of family-run smaller motels are located in the downtown area. The surrounding area has several Bed & Breakfasts, Guest Ranches & Lodges, and individual cabins available for rent. Because of the oil and gas boom, lodging becomes filled to capacity during special events. Visitors are encouraged to book their lodging in advance, especially during the summer months near times of large area events (Rendezvous Days, Pinedale Half Marathon, holidays)

Major Employers: Public School District #1, Sublette Center, Faler's General Store, Sublette County, US Government, natural gas production companies. Pinedale is the seat of Sublette County.

Approximately 68% (appx. 4000) of the county population are working-age residents* available for employment. Sublette county unemployment rate in February 2005 was 2.1% (Wyoming was 2.9%).

Major Industries: Oil & gas, ranching, tourism, recreation and government.

Media Services: Pinedale has two county newspapers, the Pinedale Roundup and the Sublette Examiner. Each is published weekly on Thursdays. KPIN radio offers soft rock and country western music along with local news. Pinedale has DSL, satellite, and wireless high-speed internet service provider options. Blackberry service is available locally through Verizon. Many local businesses have web sites with information about their services.

Medical Services: Pinedale, Big Piney and Marbleton area serviced by two county-run medical clinics which offer 24-hour on call services (dispatched through the Sublette County Sheriff's office after hours). The nearest hospital is in Jackson, 77 miles away. Emergency Life Flight helicopter and fixed wing airplace emergency transport services are available.

Population: Sublette County has a population of about 6,000 people and Pinedale approximately 1,400. County population density is 1.2 people per square mile (2000 Census). Pinedale is the largest town in the county, and is the county seat.

Post Offices: Post offices are located in Pinedale, Big Piney, Daniel, Boulder, Cora and Bondurant.

Recreation: Backpacking, biking, boating, fishing, 4-wheeling, golfing, hiking, hunting, ice fishing, ice hockey, ice skating, museums, skiing, snowmobiling, swimming, racquet ball, rodeos, tennis, wildlife viewing. White Pine Ski area is open winter and summer ten miles east of Pinedale. An entertainment center in Pinedale has 2 movie theaters, a bowling alley and arcade.

Schools: Pinedale schools are part of Sublette County School District No. 1, which include two elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. The southern part of the county, Big Piney, Marbleton and LaBarge areas, are served through Sublette County School District #9 in Big Piney. Higher education is available through Western Wyoming Community College distance learning program. The nearest community college is in Rock Springs. The nearest university is University of Wyoming in Laramie.

Sublette County: Created in 1921, is the newest county in Wyoming. The area is 4,876 square miles. The Wind River Mountains and Continental Divide lie to the east, the Sawtooths and Gros Ventre mountains to the north, and the Wyoming Range and Salt River mountains are to the west. Over 80% of the land is public, mostly National Forest and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands. Pinedale became the county seat in 1928.

Taxes: Sales-4%, State income-none, Property-residential is assessed at 9.5% of market value. The average mill levy is 60 mills (2004) or about $5.70 per $1000 of appraised or market value.

Time: All of Wyoming is on Mountain Standard or Mountain Daylight Time.

Transportation: 
The closest commercial airports are in Jackson (78 miles), Rock Springs (100 miles) and Salt Lake City (250 miles).

Local general aviation airport is Pinedale Wenz Field located approximately 6 miles south of Pinedale next to US Hwy 191. The runway is 7100' x 100', asphalt surface, with NDB approach, AWOSIII-P/T weather station. Elevation is 7080'. This field is suitable for larger corporate jets. Services include fuel, line service, aircraft maintenance, repair & inspection, transient hangar space, crew car, flight instruction, 24-hour availability. Call New Breed Aviation at 307-367-2290 for more specific information. You can also e-mail them at dgoodwin@wyoming.com, but this is not 24-hour response service. 

Local public transportation shuttle services are offered by the Senior Citizen Center by advance reservation. Shuttle services from Salt Lake City are available through Sublink Stage in Pinedale, which also offers local car rentals. They offer connections between Pinedale, Daniel Junction, Marbleton, Big Piney, LaBarge, Kemmerer, Evanston and Salt Lake City.

The nearest railroad is in Rock Springs, however the closest Amtrak connection is Salt Lake City, Utah. Bus service connection is not available to Pinedale.

Utilities: The landline phone company is CenturyTel). Power is provided by Rocky Mountain Power.

Vegetation: The vegetation in the area varies widely and includes sagebrush prairies, willow-lined creeks, aspen groves, and densely forested hills covered with fir and pine trees. Wildflowers include Indian Paintbrush, Columbine, Rocky Mountain Iris, Shooting Star, Elephant Heads and Lupine.

Weather: Summer temperatures are usually in the low 80's with afternoon thunderstorms. Average rainfall is about 10" per year. The growing season is 55-60 days long. The average winter daytime temperature is about +15F. Temperatures can fall to -40F. Cold temperatures don't feel as cold due to the very low humidity. Average monthly snowfall from December - March is 12". It can snow any day of the year in Pinedale. 

Wildlife: Deer, antelope (pronghorn), moose, elk, black & grizzly bear, bald & golden eagles and osprey. Fish include Lake, Rainbow, Cutthroat, Brown and Brook trout, Kokanee Salmon, Mountain Whitefish, Graylings, and numerous other species. Wolves are also present.

Area History:
Sublette County is historically the homeland of the Shoshoni and Sheepeater Indians. Gros Ventre, Bannock and Crow tribes also lived and hunted in this area for centuries. From 1820-1840 the area was the home of mountain men, fur trappers and traders. The county was named after one of them, William Sublette. The area was the center of the fur trade era with beaver hides highly valued. A rendezvous was held near the Green River and involved wagon trains from St. Louis meeting with the mountain men to trade supplies, traps, powder, food and whiskey for the trapper's hides. The era ended in 1840 when the beaver hat went out of fashion and the demand for pelts halted.

In the late 1850's, the Lander Cut-off of the Oregon Trail was built from South Pass through Sublette County. Emigrants passed through the area, but did not stay until the last quarter of the 1800's. In the1890's cattlemen began to wintered their stock in the area's protected valleys. Then they settled by the creeks and rivers themselves. Ranching has been the primary economic factor in the area until recently.

Now oil and natural gas in the southern half of the county produce the largest share of the county's revenue. These fields were developed in the 1920's and experienced booms in the 1950's, 1980's and currently in the 2000s. Major companies operating in the area include Shell, Chevron, EnCana, Questar, Ultra, and BP.

Tourism and recreation are now, and have historically been, a major business and lifestyle in the county. 

Other Interesting Area Facts

Fremont Lake: The second largest natural lake in Wyoming. Fremont Lake is 12 miles long and 1/2 mile wide. It is the 7th deepest lake in the country (696 feet). Fish up to the 40 lb. range can be found in Fremont Lake! It is one of the few deep lakes which has oxygenated water near its bottom due to the fact that temperature changes cause the water in the lake to turn over twice a year.

Glacial Features: Evidence of the Pinedale Glaciation (15,000 years old) is visible in the glacial moraines around Fremont, Boulder and New Fork Lakes

Historic Trails: The Astorian Route (1811-1812), the Oregon Trail, the Mormon Emigrant Trail, the Overland Trail (1843-1869) and the Pony Express Route (1860-1861), Lander Trail all cross the county. Portions of these trails are still visible today and can be traveled in places on public land (by 4-wheel drive vehicle, on foot, horseback, mountain bike, wagon). There are Overland Stage Stations and National Historic sites throughout the Green River Valley.

Horses: One of the largest wild horse herds on the continent roams on the high desert south of Pinedale.

Kendall Warm Springs: Located just north of Pinedale on the way to Green River Lakes, the Kendall Warm Springs contain a fish found nowhere else in the world! The Kendall Dace (Rhinichthys osculus thermalis) is only 2" long when fully grown. The warm springs is only a couple hundred yards long and has an average constant temperature of 84.4F. It has a thick bed of travertine that is thousands of years old.

Mountain Man Rendezvous: The first Mountain Man Rendezvous was held in 1825. Between 1825 and 1840 there were six rendezvous' held just outside of Pinedale, making this the most popular and utilized location. Today, the Green River Rendezvous is re-enacted in Pinedale during a 4-day celebration each year on the second weekend in July.

Mountains: Wyoming's highest mountain, Gannett Peak (13,804'), along with six of the largest seven glaciers in the contiguous states, is located in the Wind River Range near Pinedale.

Snowmobiling: The Continental Divide Snowmobile Trail passes right through Pinedale! National publications proclaim that snowmobiling around Pinedale is some of the best in the country.

*DEIS Socioeconomic Analysis, Jonah Infill Drilling and South Piney Projects, January 2005