Mountain Peaks and Flowing Creeks Stop to camp along this scenic drive through Vedauwoo & Medicine Bow By Candy Moulton
Southeast Wyoming Rock formations of Vedauwoo
Known to the Arapaho Indians as “Land of the Earthborn Spirit,” the rock formations of Vedauwoo (pronounced vee-da-voo) attract experienced climbers, campers and hikers. This area is conveniently located off Interstate 80 between Cheyenne and Laramie (exit 329) and for westbound travelers is their first introduction to the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest and its more than two million acres of public lands.
Laramie, 15 miles west of Vedauwoo, was begun as a frontier town by the Union Pacific Railroad in 1869 and now is the location for the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest Supervisor’s Office (2468 Jackson Street) where you can obtain maps and information to continue your explorations of the forest lands.
To return to the forest itself, take Wyoming Highway 130 west across the glacier-carved Laramie Plains toward the tiny town of Centennial, where you will find unique shopping and other services, before ascending toward the snow-capped peaks of the Medicine Bow Mountains – known locally as the Snowy Range.
Southeast Wyoming Snowy Range
This road is open seasonally to automobiles from Memorial Day until the first heavy snowfall of the season, sometime in October. During the winter it becomes a snowmobile and cross-country ski route.
A Forest Service Visitors Center, one mile west of Centennial, operates during the summer, with occasional evening programs related to area history and ecology at an adjacent picnic area.
From Centennial the Snowy Range Road corkscrews up the mountain to top out at more than 10,000 feet on Libby Flats, a high alpine landscape where you’ll feel the bite of a cold wind blowing from the snowfields atop Medicine Bow Peak even on the hottest of summer days. Take the short walk to the Libby Flats overlook to see a stunning vista that includes the Laramie Valley and the massive rocky peaks and pine forest of the Snowy Range. Less than a mile west of Libby Flats is Lake Marie, the most photographed location in the Snowy Range. A web of hiking trails provides
Southeast Wyoming Camping in the Snowy Range Rick Carpenter
access to mountain peaks, forested glens, small creeks and high mountain lakes.
Campgrounds abound in the Snowy Range, most at elevations of 8,000 feet or higher, some adjacent to the highway and others set back in the trees and along mountain streams.
Ryan Park campground on the west side of the Snowy Range, just east of the community of Ryan Park, is the site of a Civilian Conservation Corps camp during the 1930s and also the location for a World War II German Prisoner of War camp. Interpretive signs provide details about both uses and you can still see some of the foundations from the camp buildings. To the north and farther from the highway, the South Brush Creek campground has a group area, plus individual campsites.
The Brush Creek Visitor’s Center, located just off Wyoming Highway 130 a mile west of Ryan Park, and the Brush Creek-Hayden Ranger District in Saratoga provide information about recreation in the Snowy Range.
Candy Moulton makes her home within view of the Snowy Range.
At 12,013 feet, Medicine Bow Peak is far from being Wyoming's highest mountain, but this broad, beefy massif is unquestionably the monarch of southern Wyoming. Just reaching this compelling mountain on the northern end of the Medicine Bow Range makes for a wonderful drive. Climbing it turns the excursion into an adventure. The Snowy Range Scenic Byway (Wyoming Hwy. 130) slices east-west through the mountains. read more
When it comes to national parks, forests and monuments, Wyoming boasts a number of firsts, including America’s first national monument, Devils Tower, a place that’s popular with hikers and climbers. read more
