Forest Road 300 To Fiddlers Lake ~ Shoshone National Forest

Flickr album link: Forest Road 300 To Fiddlers Lake
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A previous article features the Frye Lake Campground and the starting point for today's adventure is located nearby. Louis Lake Road (National Forest Road 300) runs next to Frye Lake and this very lengthy dirt road goes all the way south to Highway 28 near Atlantic City, Wyoming. Many points of interest await to be discovered along NF Road 300 and this touring route is a good introduction to the Wind River Mountains. This long dirt road actually is fairly smooth, but a high ground clearance vehicle will provide a better ride. A 4x4 driver will have more options, since there are several side trails that go into the back country. The best part is NF 300 is a steady downhill run, so starting at the top near Fry Lake will present an opportunity to coast along and save on fuel. 

The deep woods in this end of the Shoshone National Forest is teaming with a wide variety of wildlife, so it is best to take it slow and keep a camera handy. The barren towering rock outcrops  along NF 300 are amazing to see and they are fun to explore on foot. There are several good rock climbing sites to be found in the high elevations and these places are dramatic spots to view bald eagles. There are also historic hiking trails from the age of pioneer ranchers to take on and the trailheads are well marked. 

Just short of halfway on NF 300 is where Fiddlers Lake is located and this definitely is a sweet spot for doing an overnighter. The Fiddlers Lake Campground is located along the shoreline with plenty of campsite nooks under tall shade trees, so this truly is a cozy place to be. Basic facilities, picnic tables, chargrill pits and drinking water are available. Bear safe food storage boxes can be found in each campsite, so it goes without saying that it pays to be bear aware in these deep woods. Fiddlers Lake is a nice choice for setting up a basecamp for adventures in this area and the opportunity to catch fresh fish for dinner is only a few yards away. The Fiddlers Lake Campground is well worth keeping in mind when doing a NF 300 dirt road tour in the Wind River Mountains and there are several more good camping spots further down the line. Stay tuned for the second part of the NF 300 tour in an upcoming article and until then, the Flickr album photos will say a thousand words!
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