Cirque of the Towers
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Overview
Renowned landscape photographer Marc Muench and Visionary Wild’s Justin Black have teamed up to lead a trip to the dramatic granite spires, alpine lakes, and meadows at the Cirque of the Towers in Wyoming’s Wind River Range. “The Winds” are the most alpine range in the Wyoming-Montana-Idaho complex, with soaring granite peaks reminiscent in many ways of the High Sierra Nevada but less well known and more lightly visited. The alpine wildflowers in the meadows and nearby lakes and streams offer excellent foregrounds for photographing the east-facing Cirque and other nearby peaks, which catch spectacular alpenglow at sunrise.
This is one of North America’s great mountain wildernesses, but don’t take our word for it. Following a summer 1999 horse pack trip into the Winds, internationally acclaimed mountain photographer Galen Rowell wrote the following in his April 2000 column for Outdoor Photographer magazine:
“The Wind River Range is my favorite in the Rockies. Warm, relatively dry summers create a paradise for backpackers, climbers, and photographers. Hundreds of peaks rise over 12,000 feet above glaciers and snows that last late into summer. Melt waters cascade into alpine basins filled with meadows, open pine forest, and countless lakes before joining into rivers separated by the Continental Divide.”
Our itinerary begins with a group orientation and dinner at Diamond 4 Ranch in Dickinson Park, Wyoming, on the east side of the Wind River Range (Lander is the closest large town). Our first night will be spent at an elevation of 9,200ft. in the ranch’s rustic cabins, which will serve to help acclimate us to the elevation. After an early breakfast the next morning, the experienced wranglers of Diamond 4 Ranch will lead our group on a horseback ride to camp at Lizard Head Meadows. No prior horseback experience is necessary. The horses are docile and very familiar with the trail to our camp, our base for five nights at an elevation of 10,000ft. – where a camp manager and backcountry chef will take great care of us. This is a “drop” or “spot” trip, meaning that all of our gear, coolers of fresh food, etc., will be carried in on horseback, and our camp will serve as our base for short hikes to explore the Cirque’s rich photographic opportunities.
Click “read more” below right for more information and the image gallery…
Marc Muench and Justin Black will lead photography outings morning and evening, and whenever else the lighting conditions demand it. Night photography of the high-elevation starry skies will be amazing too! Options for midday activities will include scouting hikes, talking photography, relaxing around camp, reading, napping, fishing, lake swimming, etc. After the wranglers pick us up and we rider back to the ranch, we’ll drive to our hotel in Lander, Wyoming, for a celebratory dinner, followed the next day with a group image edit, review, and critique session, finishing up by 3pm.
The trip is limited to ten participants, includes photographic instruction and guiding throughout by Muench and Black, expert horse packer services, mounts and pack stock (the horses), camp staff services, tents, all meals, and lodging the night before and night after the pack trip.
A note from a client:
Justin, please put me on the list for this trip. I did a fly fishing trip into the Winds several years ago over Bear’s Ears pass and have wanted to go back ever since. I’ll probably bring a fly rod as well. –Julie F., Visionary Wild client
Instructors
Justin Black
- JUSTIN BLACK is a photographer, writer, editor, expedition leader, photo workshops instructor, a Fellow of the International League of Conservation Writers (ILCW), a former executive director of the International ...
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Highlights
- Alpenglow on granite peaks, mirror lakes, crystal-clear creeks, alpine wildflowers and meadows, and the peaceful solitude of one of the most beautiful mountain settings in North America
- Our camp is strategically positioned to access a range of awe-inspiring landscape opportunities within easy hiking range
- Photographic instruction and guiding by Marc Muench and Justin Black throughout the trip
- Our gear will be carried horseback, as will we.
- Backcountry catering by our camp staff
- On our final day, we will hold a constructive group critique session at our hotel in Lander.
Accommodations
Our first night will be at Diamond 4 Ranch, in shared rustic cabins (each cabin has several beds). In the backcountry, our camp will be at 10,000 feet in Lizard Head Meadows. Tents and catering are provided. On the last night following the pack trip, we will relocate to Holiday Inn in Lander, Wyoming, in preparation for a day of projected photo review and critique. All meals are included.
Travel
Expectations
Beyond being an opportunity to photograph a spectacular wilderness and to learn from two leading pros and the other passionate participants, this backcoutry expedition is about taking time to get to know a place, how the light and weather play across the landscape, how the geology and ecology make the Winds special. This expedition will provide ample time for unrushed photography in the field, hands-on instruction and one-on-one mentorship, hikes to get out into the landscape to incredible locations, and time to just relax and enjoy the place.
Marc and Justin are generous, professional, and good-humored workshop leaders and excellent hosts who care deeply about providing a meaningful experience that exceeds expectations. Their combined diversity of expertise and experience in photography, natural history, and wilderness travel makes them a fountain of knowledge and a highly effective team.
Summer in the Wind River Range offers a tremendous range of excellent photographic opportunities, from broad, panoramic vistas and classic “near-far” landscape compositions with dramatic clouds building each day. There will be ample opportunities for wildflower photography, close-ups, abstractions, motion studies, and creative experimentation. We will certainly see wildlife, such as black bear (there are grizzlies further north in the Winds, but they haven’t been seen in the Cirque of the Towers), elk, moose, pronghorns, mule deer, bald eagles, hawks, and mountain songbirds. Participants will have time for a thoughtful approach to photography that encourages experimentation and creative development.
Come expecting a world-class opportunity for photography and learning and leave with a portfolio of mountain images and deeply moving memories of an experience of tranquility, camaraderie, fun, and adventure.
Cirque of the Towers
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