Lander, Wyoming: NOLS, Sinks Canyon, and the East Slope of the Wind Rivers
Lander is a small Wyoming town that punches above its weight: NOLS headquarters, Sinks Canyon, the Popo Agie Wilderness, and a downtown anchored by working ranches and outdoor outfitters.
Lander sits in a pocket valley on the east slope of the Wind River Range, where the Popo Agie River drops out of the mountains and onto the high plains. Population about 7,500. The town was founded as a supply hub for the Camp Brown military post in 1869 and named for Frederick Lander, the Pennsylvania-born explorer and engineer who surveyed the Lander Cutoff of the Oregon Trail in 1858.
What makes Lander worth a visit in 2026: it is the most outdoor-focused town in Wyoming, anchored by NOLS (headquartered here since 1965 and now the largest wilderness education organization in the world), surrounded by some of the most accessible wilderness terrain in the state, and small enough to absorb in a couple of days without effort. The downtown is genuinely a working downtown with multiple outfitter shops, real saddlery, and the kind of cafe-and-coffeehouse scene that small Mountain West towns often achieve only when there is a serious outdoor-industry employer in residence.
For visitors planning to spend time in the Wind River Range, Lander is the right east-slope base. For visitors interested in the modern American outdoor-education tradition, NOLS is the right destination.
What to do
Sinks Canyon State Park
Eight miles southwest of Lander on Wyoming Highway 131. The Popo Agie River (pronounced “po-PO-zha”) flows through a dramatic limestone canyon and abruptly disappears underground at a feature called The Sinks. A quarter-mile downstream, the water re-emerges at a feature called The Rise, in a spring-fed pool full of large rainbow trout that visitors can feed.
The geological mechanism (the river going underground through limestone karst, then re-emerging) was a mystery until 1983 when a dye trace confirmed the connection and revealed that the water takes about two hours to travel the underground quarter-mile. The feature has been famous to visitors since the 1860s.
The state park includes the visitor center (with geological exhibits), multiple short hiking trails, the Sinks themselves, the Rise viewing area, and a campground. Daily admission is modest. Allow 2-3 hours, more if you hike further into the canyon.
NOLS Headquarters
On Lincoln Street downtown, the NOLS campus includes administrative buildings, classrooms, equipment depots, and a public cafeteria. NOLS, founded by Paul Petzoldt in 1965, runs multi-week wilderness expeditions across the world (Wyoming, Alaska, Patagonia, the Indian Himalaya, others) and is one of the world’s premier outdoor leadership institutions. Their published curriculum (especially NOLS Wilderness Medicine by Tod Schimelpfenig, NOLS Cookery, and NOLS Wilderness Educator Notebook) sets the standard for the discipline.
The headquarters visit is informal: stop in at the main building during business hours, look around, eat at the cafeteria. For visitors interested in outdoor education or wilderness medicine, the NOLS Pro Center bookstore stocks the full curriculum.
Popo Agie Wilderness and the Wind River east slope
Lander is the gateway to the Popo Agie Wilderness (101,000 acres on the Shoshone National Forest) and onward to the Fitzpatrick Wilderness (192,000 acres) covering the central east slope of the Wind River Range. Standard access:
- Sinks Canyon State Park trailheads for day hikes on the lower slopes.
- Loop Road (FR 300) continuing past Sinks Canyon to higher elevation trailheads at Worthen Meadow, Frye Lake, and Bruce’s Bridge.
- Trail Lake Trailhead (north of Lander, near Dubois) for the Glacier Trail into Dinwoody and the foot of Gannett Peak (Wyoming’s highest summit).
For multi-day backcountry trips, the Wind River trails article covers the broader east-slope routes. For day hikes, the Sinks Canyon and Loop Road areas are the easy access.
Pioneer Museum
Local museum on Lincoln Street covering Lander’s frontier history, the Camp Brown / Fort Washakie military post era, the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho who occupy the adjacent Wind River Indian Reservation, and the early-20th-century ranching community. Modest collection but worth an hour.
Wind River Indian Reservation (adjacent)
The Wind River Indian Reservation, home to the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho, occupies 2.2 million acres immediately north and west of Lander. Reservation visits should be made with cultural awareness; the Eastern Shoshone Tribal Museum at Fort Washakie (15 minutes north of Lander) is a good starting point. Sacajawea’s gravesite (probably; the historical record is contested) is near Fort Washakie. Always defer to tribal protocols and respect the boundaries of areas not open to the public.
Sweetwater Brewing Company
Local brewery downtown. Standard stops on the Wyoming brewery circuit. Live music several nights a week.
Where to eat
Lander’s food scene is small but solid for a town this size, supported by the NOLS-and-outdoor-industry workforce.
The Middle Fork. Modern American downtown, the closest thing Lander has to fine dining. Reservations.
Cowfish. Modern grill on Main Street. Strong burger and beer program.
Lander Bar. Local bar with food. Casual, real, after-work-and-beyond crowd.
Magpie Cafe. Best breakfast in Lander. On Main Street downtown.
Gannett Grill. Pub food adjacent to the Lander Bar, simpler menu.
Where to stay
Mid-range: Holiday Inn Express, Best Western, several smaller motels along US-287. $130-200/night summer.
Historic: the Pronghorn Lodge (small property downtown, 8 rooms, $150-250/night) and a handful of B&Bs.
Camping: Sinks Canyon State Park has one of Wyoming’s best small campgrounds. Multiple Bighorn National Forest campgrounds along Loop Road in the upper canyon. Free dispersed camping on national forest land at higher elevations.
When to visit
Summer (June-August): all access open, peak season for Wind River backcountry. Lander stays small enough that crowds are not a real issue.
Fall (September-October): the strongest window. Cottonwoods turn gold along the Popo Agie. Lodging cheaper. Wind River backcountry season ends in late September.
Winter (November-March): Loop Road closed at Sinks Canyon, no high-elevation access. The town stays open and quiet. Ice climbing is excellent for visitors with skills (Lander hosts the International Climbers’ Festival in summer and is a major climbing destination year-round).
Spring (April-May): mud season for the high country, lower-elevation hiking opens up.
What’s around Lander
- Dubois, WY (75 minutes north): smaller town, Wind River east-slope alternative gateway, the National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Center.
- Riverton, WY (25 minutes northeast): larger sister town, Wyoming Honor Farm Wild Horse Program (BLM mustang training).
- Casper, WY (135 minutes east): the energy and oil capital, I-25 hub.
- Pinedale, WY (130 minutes northwest via the Wind River Reservation roads): the west-slope Wind River gateway.
- Wind River Indian Reservation (immediately north and west, as covered above).
Why Lander matters
Lander is the most outdoor-industry-coherent small town in Wyoming. The presence of NOLS for 60+ years has shaped the entire town: more REI-and-Patagonia jackets per capita, more guides and instructors in the bars, more functional outdoor literacy across the population, and a cafe-and-coffeehouse scene that supports the workforce.
It is also the most accessible east-slope Wind River base for visitors who do not want to drive deep into the mountains to reach a trailhead. Sinks Canyon is 8 miles from town. Worthen Meadow is 22 miles. Even the relatively remote Trail Lake trailhead is under 90 minutes.
For visitors specifically interested in outdoor education or wilderness recreation, Lander is the right Wyoming destination. For visitors interested in the broader range of Wyoming experiences (Western history, working-cowboy culture, fine dining), Cody, Sheridan, or Jackson are stronger choices.
A two-day Lander visit pairs cleanly with a longer Wind River backcountry trip for visitors with the time and skills.
Gear for Lander and the Wind Rivers
- Klean Kanteen insulated 20 oz — non-negotiable for Wind River Range trips; altitude + dry air dehydrates fast
- Smartwool Hike Heavyweight Crew socks — for the approach trails into the Cirque of the Towers or the Lakes Basin
- Leatherman Wave Plus — NOLS graduates put this on their belt the same day they graduate
- Pendleton wool blanket — for the cold nights above 10,000 ft
- Merrell Moab 3 Mid Hiking Boot — the go-to for Wind River approach trails, out-of-box comfort, Vibram sole
Related reading on this site
- Wyoming’s best horse packing trails
- The Wyoming Trading Post guide to horseback camping
- The Wyoming regional outfitter directory
- Wyoming horse breeds: what works in mountain country
- Sheridan, Wyoming: home of King’s Saddlery
- Chief Washakie: the Eastern Shoshone leader who shaped Wyoming
- 9 Wyoming ghost towns worth the drive
- 9 Wyoming hot springs you can actually soak in
Further reading
- NOLS publications, especially NOLS Wilderness Medicine (Tod Schimelpfenig).
- Wyoming State Parks publications on Sinks Canyon geology.
- Eastern Shoshone Cultural Center publications.
Frequently asked questions
What is Lander, Wyoming known for?
Three things: NOLS (the National Outdoor Leadership School, headquartered here since 1965, the largest wilderness education organization in the world), Sinks Canyon State Park (the Popo Agie River disappears underground at The Sinks and re-emerges at The Rise, a famous geological oddity), and access to the east slope of the Wind River Range via the Fitzpatrick and Popo Agie Wildernesses. Population about 7,500. The town has a strong outdoor-industry identity that makes it the most outdoor-focused community in Wyoming.
How does Lander compare to Pinedale as a Wind River base?
Lander accesses the east slope (Fitzpatrick and Popo Agie Wildernesses, the Glacier Trail, Trail Lake trailhead). Pinedale accesses the west slope (Bridger Wilderness, Big Sandy trailhead, Cirque of the Towers). Both ranges share the Continental Divide and the same general country, but trip planning differs significantly. For Lander, plan around the Glacier Trail to Dinwoody Lake area or Sinks Canyon and Frye Lake on the lower slopes.
Is NOLS open to visitors?
The NOLS headquarters has visitor space and is open to drop-in visits during business hours. The cafeteria is open to the public. Tours are available by appointment. NOLS does not run public day programs from the headquarters; their courses are multi-week wilderness expeditions. For visitors interested in their work, the headquarters visit is informative; for actual NOLS courses, advance enrollment is required (and competitive).