Courtesy Stewart DulaneyDivers surface on the lake.
"You can stay busy in Wyoming just diving.”
Stewart Dulaney, owner and PADI Staff Instructor at Mountain Bay Scuba, has been diving in Wyoming since 1976, when he completed his first certification at Fremont Lake.
About 100 miles from the lake, in Rock Springs, Wyoming, Mountain Bay Scuba is currently the nearest PADI shop to stop and fill up with air.
Along with Willow Lake, New Fork Lakes and Half Moon Lake, Fremont Lake is part of a group of glacial lakes just north of Pinedale in the Wind River Range. It’s one of the dive sites frequented by the dive community in Wyoming, which also boasts diving on the Snake River and Flaming Gorge.
Courtesy Stewart DulaneyPlan to camp and be treated to stunning sunsets and stargazing.
Dulaney has done just about every type of diving and taught many certification classes on the lake, including ice, shore and boat diving. He recalls wrapping up work at 6 p.m., driving up to Fremont Lake, doing a night dive until 10 or 11, and then camping overnight to go diving again the next day.
Today, the U.S. Forest Service lists various campsites along the eastern side of the lake on Recreation.gov for visitors looking to do the same—after all, a night spent checking out the area’s pristine stargazing is a perfect complement to a day spent exploring the lake’s underwater offerings.
At 610 feet deep, Fremont Lake is one of the country’s deepest lakes. It stretches 12 miles long and is up to a mile wide at parts, making for lots of coves and crevices to explore.
Divers should be aware that the lake is a high-altitude diving location in Wyoming’s Bridger-Teton National Forest, only about 7 miles from Pinedale. Rock structures, arrowheads and the occasional sunken boat or artifact are among the highlights awaiting divers who venture into its depths.
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The lake appeals to every type of diver, from those getting their first open water certifications to advanced rec divers.
Divers might even encounter a year-round “holiday” surprise: underwater trees so strung up with lures, they resemble Christmas trees. Dulaney and his dive buddies have also searched for sunken aircraft and Prohibition-era steamships—but they hold those details close to the chest. The allure of Fremont Lake is that there are always more secrets to uncover.
“We dived to 150 to 200 feet to see what’s there. You really have a limitation if you’re not drysuit diving and you hit the thermocline at 25 to 30 feet,” says Dulaney.
“If you have a boat, it makes the whole lake accessible. Otherwise, there are only three places to get in: the upper and lower boat ramps, and down by the marina.
Fremont Lake stretches 12 miles long.
Shutterstock Patrick JenningsFremont Lake stretches 12 miles long.
“We do certifications and fun dives at ‘Swim Beach,’ close to the marina. The water gets up to 70 degrees on the surface, then 40 degrees at the thermocline.” Swim Beach is the local nickname for the sandy stretch on the southeastern side of the lake, but if you’re looking for it on a map, it’s officially called Sandy Beach.
Some other notable corners of Fremont Lake include Moosehead Bay and Chambers Bay, where boulders the size of cars are scattered in crystal-clear water. “You have to be very stealthy to see fish there,” Dulaney says. “They are sensitive to the exhalation of the bubbles and will disappear very quickly.” Aquatic snails are a little easier to come by.
For a truly memorable dive, there’s one experience Dulaney recommends under the cover of night. “One of the cool things is to dive during the full moon,” he explains. “As you come up, you can actually look up and see the moon itself [from underwater] if you’re not too deep.
“It’s one of the clearest lakes in our area, if not the clearest. It’s a great place just to get wet.”
Related Reading: Essential Tips for Diving Lake Superior, Michigan
Need to Know Diving Fremont Lake
Certification
Prepare for lake life with the PADI Boat Diver course.
Accommodations
Reserve a campsite on Recreation.gov.
When to Visit
End of July through September, when water temperatures are warmest.
What to Bring
A 5–7 mm wetsuit will suffice for peak season. Bring a dive flag.
Local Resources
Mountain Bay Scuba mountainbayscuba.com
Cassidy Vincent
SITE SPOTLIGHT: Rocky Mountain Capshell
Wyoming is home to nearly 40 species of aquatic snails in the phylum Mollusca. Each relies on its foot for most functions to keep it alive.
These snails primarily eat algae, which they scrape from their surroundings using a row of teeth called a radula. Despite their name, aquatic snails breathe air—instead of processing oxygen in the water through gills like many other sea creatures—meaning they need to come to the surface to breathe.
In 2022, a new rare species of aquatic snail called the Rocky Mountain capshell was identified in the southeast corner of Wyoming. On average, these tiny creatures grow to just under a half inch in length, requiring keen eyes to spot.
