Unit 28

Cirque of the Towers stands as the unit's most recognizable landmark—a glaciated basin system visible for miles and invaluable for navigation. Mount Hooker and the Warrior Peaks define the central ridge system. Washakie and Hooker Glaciers mark permanent high-country features useful for distance glassing.

Major drainages include the Popo Agie (Little Popo Agie Canyon) and Shoshone Creek systems, which serve as primary travel corridors. Key passes like Christina, Sweetwater, and Cony Passes facilitate cross-ridge movement. The Sinks Canyon area anchors the southern approach zone where Highway 28 provides initial access.

The unit spans from about 5,300 feet at lower entry points to peaks exceeding 13,000 feet, with median terrain around 8,800 feet. Most country sits in the 8,000-10,000 foot range where subalpine forest transitions to open alpine. Timberline occurs around 10,500 feet, creating distinct habitat zones: lower slopes support moderate mixed conifer forest with meadow openings, mid-elevations feature timbered benches interspersed with high meadows and parks, and upper elevations break into exposed ridges, talus, and alpine tundra.

The presence of glaciers indicates sustained high-elevation terrain where winter conditions severely limit hunter access.

Nearly 400 miles of roads border and penetrate the unit's lower edges, but road density doesn't translate to easy access—most roads serve valleys and foothills, not high ridges. Highway 287 and 28 provide primary trailhead access; the Sinks Canyon area sees heaviest pressure as a known elk entry point. The extreme terrain complexity (8.9/10) means most pressure concentrates near road corridors and established trails.

The high-elevation interior remains relatively remote due to physical difficulty rather than access barriers. Early season sees concentrated pressure near trailheads; savvy hunters willing to go deep into the alpine basins encounter solitude despite public land abundance.

Unit 28 encompasses the high spine of the Wind River Range, bounded by U.S. Highway 287 along the north and east where the reservation meets the range, Wyoming Highway 28 to the south, and the Continental Divide corridor running northwest through the center. The western edge follows Willow Creek drainage toward the Sweetwater-Popo Agie divide. This places the unit directly astride one of Wyoming's most prominent mountain crests, a vast landscape of ridges, glaciated valleys, and alpine basins that spans from the foothills to true high-country terrain.

Alpine lakes dot the high basins—Lonesome Lake, Little Washakie, and Deep Creek Lakes provide reliable water in remote country. Springs exist throughout mid-elevations (Cole, Barrel, Iron, Derby, Harvey Springs among others), though reliability decreases with elevation and season. Major creeks like Madison, Louis, Atlantic, and Thompson drain the central ridges but are seasonal at higher elevations.

The Popo Agie River system drains the eastern side and offers perennial flow in lower sections. High-elevation snowmelt is unpredictable—hunters must plan water strategy carefully, especially early and late season when springs may be dry or inaccessible under snow.

This is purely elk country at high elevation. The ridgeline terrain and glaciated basins create natural funnels where herds move between summer alpine range and lower winter grounds. Early season finds bulls high in basins like Cony, Cyclone, and Harvey where alpine meadows provide forage.

Rut timing aligns with elk migration from high parks toward forested lower slopes. Late season concentrates remaining animals on timbered mid-elevations where some winter range remains accessible. Successful hunting requires mountain fitness, navigation skills, and willingness to glass from distance since the rolling ridge systems obscure direct visibility.

Water access and weather management are constant tactical concerns in this exposed terrain.