Big Sandy Mountain

Big Sandy Mountain (12,416 feet (3,784 m)) is located in the southern Wind River Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming.^[3] Big Sandy Mountain sits along the Continental Divide, less than 1 mi (1.6 km) southeast of Dog Tooth Peak.

Big Sandy Mountain
Big Sandy Mountain Location in Wyoming Show map of Wyoming Big Sandy Mountain Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Highest point
Elevation	12,416 ft (3,784 m)[1]
Coordinates	42°45′04″N 109°10′45″W[2]
Geography
Location	Fremont and Sublette Counties, Wyoming, U.S.
Parent range	Wind River Range
Topo map	USGS Lizard Head Peak

Hazards

Main articles: Hazards of outdoor recreation and Mountaineering § Hazards

Encountering bears is a concern in the Wind River Range.^[4] There are other concerns as well, including bugs, wildfires, adverse snow conditions and nighttime cold temperatures.^[5]

Importantly, there have been notable incidents, including accidental deaths, due to falls from steep cliffs (a misstep could be fatal in this class 4/5 terrain) and due to falling rocks, over the years, including 1993,^[6] 2007 (involving an experienced NOLS leader),^[7] 2015^[8] and 2018.^[9] Other incidents include a seriously injured backpacker being airlifted near SquareTop Mountain^[10] in 2005,^[11] and a fatal hiker incident (from an apparent accidental fall) in 2006 that involved state search and rescue.^[12] The U.S. Forest Service does not offer updated aggregated records on the official number of fatalities in the Wind River Range.

Climate

There is no weather station at the summit, but this climate table contains interpolated data for an area around the summit. Big Sandy Mountain has a tundra climate (Köppen ET).

Climate data for Big Sandy Mountain 42.7528 N, 109.1775 W, Elevation: 11,972 ft (3,649 m) (1991–2020 normals)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	21.5 (−5.8)	21.2 (−6.0)	27.0 (−2.8)	31.8 (−0.1)	40.8 (4.9)	51.4 (10.8)	60.9 (16.1)	59.5 (15.3)	50.6 (10.3)	37.9 (3.3)	27.0 (−2.8)	20.5 (−6.4)	37.5 (3.1)
Daily mean °F (°C)	11.5 (−11.4)	10.3 (−12.1)	15.4 (−9.2)	20.0 (−6.7)	28.8 (−1.8)	38.6 (3.7)	47.3 (8.5)	46.3 (7.9)	38.2 (3.4)	27.0 (−2.8)	17.2 (−8.2)	10.9 (−11.7)	26.0 (−3.4)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	1.4 (−17.0)	−0.5 (−18.1)	3.8 (−15.7)	8.2 (−13.2)	16.9 (−8.4)	25.9 (−3.4)	33.8 (1.0)	33.1 (0.6)	25.8 (−3.4)	16.0 (−8.9)	7.4 (−13.7)	1.3 (−17.1)	14.4 (−9.8)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	2.73 (69)	2.41 (61)	2.83 (72)	4.23 (107)	4.28 (109)	2.98 (76)	1.71 (43)	1.75 (44)	2.30 (58)	2.84 (72)	2.15 (55)	2.98 (76)	33.19 (842)
Source: PRISM Climate Group[13]

Big Sandy Opening is a popular trailhead that provides access to Big Sandy Lake and Mountain, as well as other locations within the southern area of the Wind River Range.^[14] Big Sandy Opening has a subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc).

Climate data for Big Sandy Opening, Wyoming, 1991–2020 normals: 9080ft (2768m)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	27.9 (−2.3)	30.0 (−1.1)	38.4 (3.6)	45.2 (7.3)	53.5 (11.9)	62.9 (17.2)	71.9 (22.2)	70.5 (21.4)	59.9 (15.5)	46.0 (7.8)	33.6 (0.9)	26.4 (−3.1)	47.2 (8.4)
Daily mean °F (°C)	14.4 (−9.8)	15.5 (−9.2)	23.2 (−4.9)	30.9 (−0.6)	40.0 (4.4)	48.3 (9.1)	55.8 (13.2)	54.5 (12.5)	45.8 (7.7)	34.1 (1.2)	21.0 (−6.1)	13.6 (−10.2)	33.1 (0.6)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	0.9 (−17.3)	0.8 (−17.3)	7.9 (−13.4)	16.6 (−8.6)	26.5 (−3.1)	33.7 (0.9)	39.6 (4.2)	38.3 (3.5)	31.6 (−0.2)	22.1 (−5.5)	8.5 (−13.1)	0.8 (−17.3)	18.9 (−7.3)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	2.13 (54)	2.20 (56)	2.10 (53)	2.39 (61)	2.57 (65)	1.87 (47)	1.04 (26)	1.23 (31)	1.78 (45)	1.91 (49)	1.82 (46)	2.32 (59)	23.36 (592)
Source 1: XMACIS2[15]
Source 2: NOAA (Precipitation)[16]

References

1. "Big Sandy Mountain, Wyoming". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
2. "Big Sandy Mountain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
3. Lizard Head Peak, WY (Map). TopoQwest (United States Geological Survey Maps). Retrieved March 23, 2014.
4. Staff (April 24, 2017). "Bear Safety in Wyoming's Wind River Country". WindRiver.org. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
5. Ballou, Dawn (July 27, 2005). "Wind River Range condition update - Fires, trails, bears, Continental Divide". PineDaleOnline News. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
6. Staff (1993). "Falling Rock, Loose Rock, Failure to Test Holds, Wyoming, Wind River Range, Seneca Lake". American Alpine Club. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
7. MacDonald, Dougald (August 14, 2007). "Trundled Rock Kills NOLS Leader". Climbing. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
8. Staff (December 9, 2015). "Officials rule Wind River Range climbing deaths accidental". Casper Star-Tribune. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
9. Dayton, Kelsey (August 24, 2018). "Deadly underestimation". WyoFile News. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
10. Funk, Jason (2009). "Squaretop Mountain Rock Climbing". Mountain Project. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
11. Staff (July 22, 2005). "Injured man rescued from Square Top Mtn - Tip-Top Search & Rescue helps 2 injured on the mountain". PineDaleOnline News. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
12. Staff (September 1, 2006). "Incident Reports - September, 2006 - Wind River Search". WildernessDoc.com. Archived from the original on January 27, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
13. "PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University". PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University. Retrieved October 12, 2023. To find the table data on the PRISM website, start by clicking Coordinates (under Location); copy Latitude and Longitude figures from top of table; click Zoom to location; click Precipitation, Minimum temp, Mean temp, Maximum temp; click 30-year normals, 1991-2020; click 800m; click Retrieve Time Series button.
14. summitpost.org. "Big Sandy Opening". Retrieved October 12, 2023.
15. "xmACIS2". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
16. "Big Sandy Opening, Wyoming 1991-2020 Monthly Normals". Retrieved October 12, 2023.