Elk, moose and bighorn sheep roam this million-acre Wyoming forest most people skip

It’s bigger than Yellowstone and half as busy

Medicine Bow National Forest covers more than a million acres of southeastern Wyoming, yet most Americans have never heard of it. That’s either a shame or a selling point, depending on how you travel.

Elevations run from about 5,000 feet to over 12,000, pulling you through sagebrush flats, thick pine forests, and rocky alpine peaks. Elk, moose, bighorn sheep, pronghorn and black bears move through all of it.

And while Yellowstone logs millions of visitors a year, this place stays quiet in a way that’s hard to explain until you’re standing in the middle of it.

Native tribes named this land centuries before roads arrived

Long before anyone paved a highway through these mountains, tribes including the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Ute and Shoshone gathered here to hunt and hold ceremonies.

They cut mountain mahogany from the valleys to make high-quality bows.

Early settlers watched those gatherings and called them “making medicine,” and the two phrases blended into a name that stuck.

President Theodore Roosevelt made it official on May 22, 1902, establishing the Medicine Bow Forest Reserve.

Today the forest, combined with Routt National Forest and Thunder Basin National Grassland, covers nearly 2.9 million managed acres.

Drive 29 miles and climb nearly two miles into the sky

The Snowy Range Scenic Byway runs 29 miles on Highway 130 from the small town of Centennial up through lodgepole pine forests and over Snowy Range Pass at 10,847 feet, then drops down to Saratoga on the west side.

The drive takes about 45 minutes if you don’t stop. Almost nobody doesn’t stop.

It was one of the first scenic byways designated on National Forest lands, and on a clear morning when the peaks catch the early light, you’ll understand why. Pull over often.

Stand above 10,000 feet and see three mountain ranges at once

Libby Flats Observation Point sits right off the byway and gets you above 10,000 feet without a strenuous hike. To the east, you can see the Laramie Range.

To the west, the Sierra Madre. To the south, peaks reaching into Colorado.

The views open up in every direction, and on clear days the distance seems almost unreasonable for a roadside stop. Photographers who come for a quick shot tend to stay much longer than they planned.

This one is worth the stop even if you skip everything else on the byway.

Two alpine lakes, one waterfall and wildflowers everywhere you look

Lake Marie sits surrounded by rocky peaks and draws visitors who come to fish, kayak, or just walk the shoreline. A short trail from the parking area leads to a small waterfall.

Nearby, Mirror Lake has an accessible picnic area and a fishing platform right at the water’s edge. The Lakes Trail connects the two, passing through meadows that fill with wildflowers in late June and July.

Indian paintbrush, Wyoming’s state flower, lines much of the route. Lake Marie is one of the most photographed corners of this entire forest.

Hike a boulder scramble to the top of southern Wyoming

Medicine Bow Peak tops out at 12,013 feet, the highest point in southern Wyoming.

The most popular route is a roughly 7-mile loop from the West Lake Marie Trailhead, passing alpine meadows, rocky ridges and glacial lakes before a final boulder scramble to the summit.

From the top, you can see the Snowy Range spread out in every direction along with the surrounding lakes and distant ranges. The hike is rated challenging.

Afternoon thunderstorms roll in fast at this elevation, so start early and watch the sky.

Ancient granite twisted into shapes that look like they shouldn’t stand

Vedauwoo Recreation Area sits just off Interstate 80 between Laramie and Cheyenne, and the granite formations there don’t look like anything else in Wyoming.

The name comes from the Arapaho and means “Land of the Earthborn Spirit.”

The Sherman granite is about 1.4 billion years old, and ice, wind and water spent millions of years carving it into massive, gravity-defying towers and rounded boulders stacked in ways that seem accidental.

The area sits at about 8,200 feet, and on clear days you can see 75 miles in any direction from the higher outcrops.

700 climbing routes and trails anyone can walk

Vedauwoo draws rock climbers from around the world, known specifically for its wide-crack climbing, a style called offwidth that demands a particular set of skills.

More than 700 routes range from beginner-friendly to expert, and the season runs from mid-April through mid-October.

If climbing isn’t your thing, the Turtle Rock Trail gives you a roughly 3-mile loop through the formations, past meadows, streams and beaver ponds.

The Box Canyon Trail covers similar terrain and is fully accessible for people with mobility needs. You don’t have to rope up to get a lot out of this place.

A quieter range with wild canyons and aspen gold in October

Southwest of Saratoga, the Sierra Madre Range holds two federally designated wilderness areas: Huston Park and Encampment River.

The 57-mile Battle Pass Scenic Byway cuts through this range and draws fall visitors when the aspen trees turn gold across the hillsides.

The Encampment River runs through a wild canyon on the east side of the range, where you can fish in near-total quiet.

Far fewer people come here than to the Snowy Range, which means the trails stay empty and the campsites stay open well into the season.

Trophy trout, bald eagles and meadows that go gold in summer

The forest holds rainbow, brook and cutthroat trout in its lakes and streams, and serious anglers make the drive from across the region to fish them.

Near Saratoga, bald and golden eagles winter in the North Platte Valley. Out on the rocky slopes, marmots scatter between boulders.

Overhead, raptors circle the ridges. The wildflower peak runs late June through July, when alpine meadows fill with color and Indian paintbrush lines the byway in patches of deep red and orange.

Wildlife sightings here aren’t a bonus. They’re part of the plan.

300 inches of snow and stars thick enough to count

In winter, the Snowy Range picks up more than 300 inches of snow per year.

That feeds 328 miles of snowmobile trails, groomed and ungroomed, along with cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and ice fishing on frozen alpine lakes.

The Snowy Range Ski Area on the east side of the forest handles downhill skiing and snowboarding.

Once the sun goes down, the high elevation and distance from city lights make this one of Wyoming’s best places to watch the sky. On a clear winter night, you can see more stars than you’ve probably seen anywhere.

Centennial is your last stop before the mountains take over

Founded in 1876 as a mining town, Centennial sits at the eastern base of the Snowy Range Scenic Byway and runs just a handful of blocks.

The Nici Self Historical Museum, housed in an old railroad depot, covers the area’s mining and ranching past.

A Forest Service visitor center near town stays open from about Memorial Day through mid-October, with maps, permits and trail information. A small cluster of shops, cabins and places to eat lines the main road.

Fill the tank and pick up what you need here. The byway doesn’t wait.

Plan your visit to Medicine Bow National Forest in Wyoming

The forest headquarters sits in Laramie, with ranger offices in Saratoga and Douglas.

From Laramie, Vedauwoo is about 16 miles east on Interstate 80, and the byway starts about 27 miles west on Highway 130. The byway is seasonal, typically open late May through mid-November.

Dozens of developed campgrounds sit throughout the forest, and dispersed camping is allowed in many areas.

Before you leave Saratoga, stop at the Hobo Hot Pool on the North Platte River, a free public hot spring open 24 hours a day with water running between 100 and 119 degrees.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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