[2] The wilderness lies on the west side of the Continental Divide in the Wind River Range and contains Gannett Peak; at 13,809 feet (4,209 m)[3] it is the tallest mountain in Wyoming.

Although camping and fishing are allowed with proper permit, no roads or buildings are constructed and there is also no logging or mining, in compliance with the 1964 Wilderness Act.

In addition, most of the megafauna originally indigenous to the region still exist in the wilderness including moose, elk, mule deer, wolverine, bighorn sheep and mountain lion.

Numerous bird species are found including bald eagle, osprey, peregrine falcon and Clark's nutcracker.

[12] The U.S. Forest Service does not offer updated aggregated records on the official number of fatalities in the Wind River Range.