Sinks Canyon State Park

Sinks Canyon State Park is a Wyoming state park located in the Wind River Mountains, 6 miles southwest of Lander, Wyoming on Wyoming Highway 131. The park is named for a portion of the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie River. The river flows into an underground limestone cavern at the Sinks, and emerges 1/4 mile down the canyon in a pool named the Rise.

A visitor's center is located at the Sinks, and an observation deck overlooks the Rise.

The exact route of the underground passage is unknown, and dye tests have shown that the water takes over 2 hours to make the 1/4 mile journey between the Sinks and the Rise. Additionally, more water flows from the Rise than enters the cavern at the sink. The Madison Limestone Formation was carved by glacial movement, leaving extensive underground fissures and steep cliff walls. The gradual recession of the ice left glacial moraines along the canyon floor.

The Crow Indian name of the river, "Popo Agie," (pronounced po po shuh) may relate to the gurgling sound of the water as it disappears into the ground [http://wyoparks.state.wy.us/Parks/SinksCanyon/SinksCanyon.pdf] .

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External links

* [http://wyoparks.state.wy.us/Parks/SinksCanyon/index.asp Official site]
* [http://wyoparks.state.wy.us/Parks/SinksCanyon/SinksCanyon.pdf Site brochure]