This billion-year-old Wyoming rock pile sits 16 miles from Laramie and looks like Mars

It’s called Vedauwoo, and it’s wild

You pronounce it “VEE-da-voo,” and you can see it from Interstate 80.

Massive granite formations rise straight out of the rolling high plains about 16 miles east of Laramie, Wyoming, at roughly 8,000 feet.

The place sits inside Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest and pulls in hikers, climbers, campers and families all year long.

Take Exit 329, and within minutes you’re standing among towers of rock that look like they belong on another planet. The strange part is how they got their name.

An Arapaho word replaced the old name, Skull Rocks

The name traces back to the Arapaho word “biito’o’wu,” which means “earth-born.”

In the 1920s, University of Wyoming professor Maybelle Land DeKay wanted an Arapaho name for a grand outdoor pageant she was planning in the rock formations.

She worked with Episcopal missionary John Roberts, who was living on the Wind River Reservation, to find the right word.

The first pageant went up in 1924 in a natural rock amphitheater called Vedauwoo Glen, with a cast of nearly 500 people. The name stuck and buried the old one for good.

The pink granite formed a billion years underground

These formations are 1.4-billion-year-old Sherman Granite, some of the oldest exposed rock in Wyoming. The granite started as a massive body of molten rock that cooled slowly deep underground.

About 70 million years ago, the same forces that built the Laramie Range pushed it to the surface. Wind, ice and water did the rest, carving the stone into towering hoodoos and stacked boulders.

Look closely and you’ll notice a pinkish color from feldspar crystals, slashed with patches of bright lichen.

Offwidth cracks draw climbers from around the world

Vedauwoo holds the title of the offwidth crack climbing capital of North America.

Offwidth cracks are too wide for your fist but too narrow for your whole body, so you have to wedge yourself in using a technique that’s as uncomfortable as it sounds.

Over 1,000 routes range from beginner-friendly 5.0 to expert-level 5.14.

Climbers started putting up routes here in the 1940s, when World War II veterans attending the University of Wyoming went looking for rock.

The granite is rough and studded with crystals, and people fly in from all over to try it.

Circle the Turtle Rock Loop in under two hours

The Turtle Rock Loop is the trail most people start with, a roughly three-mile circle around the massive Turtle Rock formation. The path rates easily, with gentle ups and downs that work fine for families and young kids.

You walk through aspen groves, pine forests, beaver ponds and open meadows while rock formations tower over you the entire way. The views shift constantly as you move around the rock.

Give yourself one to two hours at a relaxed pace, and you’ll cover the whole thing without rushing.

Walk the paved Box Canyon Trail to a rock amphitheater

If you need a trail that works for everyone, Box Canyon is the one.

A paved pathway leads into a natural canyon framed by rock walls, and the whole thing runs about 0.6 miles out and back with almost no elevation gain.

The trail is fully accessible to people with disabilities, one of the few in the entire Medicine Bow National Forest area.

At the end, you reach the natural rock amphitheater where DeKay staged that first 1924 pageant with 500 performers. The walk is short, but the walls closing in around you make it feel bigger than it is.

Scramble the boulders without ropes or gear

You don’t need climbing gear to have fun on the rock here.

Giant granite boulders sit scattered across the landscape, and you can scramble up the lower formations in regular shoes.

The campground itself winds between boulders and rock walls, with formations just steps from many campsites. Kids find spots to clamber around and explore within minutes of arriving.

For anyone who wants to try bouldering without the commitment of ropes and harnesses, the whole area is one big open-air playground at 8,000 feet.

Moose, eagles and beaver ponds along the trails

Early morning and evening are your best windows for spotting moose, and they show up regularly along the trails and near beaver ponds. Mule deer, elk and pronghorn move through the surrounding meadows and forests.

Beaver dams and lodges dot the creeks, backing up water into ponds full of frogs, fish and waterfowl. Look up and you’ll catch golden and bald eagles riding thermals above the formations alongside red-tailed hawks.

Closer to the ground, chipmunks, ground squirrels and rabbits are everywhere you step.

Wildflowers and golden aspens against pink rock

Wildflowers start blooming in summer and peak around early July. You’ll see lupine, blanket flower, pasque flower and sand lily spread across the meadows.

The purple pincushion cactus is tiny and easy to walk right past when it’s not in bloom, so look down. Come back in September or October, and the aspen groves surrounding the formations turn gold.

Set against pink granite and a wide blue Wyoming sky, the color hits differently than you’d expect from high plains country.

Ride 20 miles of trails through pine and aspen shade

Mountain bikers get over 20 miles of trails here, including single track, double track and fire roads.

The Turtle Rock Loop pulls double duty for bikers and includes some rocky technical sections that keep things interesting.

From Vedauwoo, trails connect to the larger Happy Jack trail system linking Laramie and Cheyenne, so you can ride as far as your legs allow.

Pine and aspen forests shade long stretches of the route, and the mix of terrain gives casual riders and experienced bikers plenty to work with.

Camp at 8,300 feet with boulders for neighbors

The campground sits at about 8,300 feet, and many sites back right up against boulders and rock walls.

You get 29 standard campsites and 20 tent-only walk-in sites, all with picnic tables, fire rings and access to vault toilets. There are no electric, water, or sewer hookups, so bring your own water.

A $5 day-use fee covers the picnic areas, and camping fees run separately.

The rock formations loom over your site, and at night, the elevation puts you closer to the stars than most campgrounds in the lower 48.

Stop for a picnic where outlaws once hid out

The picnic areas sit right at the base of the towering rock formations, with tables scattered among the boulders and pines giving shade overhead.

The spot is a natural road trip stop for anyone driving I-80 between Laramie and Cheyenne. You can eat lunch, then walk a nearby trail or scramble up the rocks before getting back on the highway.

Legends say outlaws once used the maze of formations as hideouts, and the nooks and crannies winding between the boulders make that easy to believe.

Explore Vedauwoo Recreation Area near Laramie, Wyoming

You’ll find Vedauwoo off Exit 329 on Interstate 80, about 16 miles east of Laramie. The U.S. Forest Service manages the area as part of Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest.

No fee covers general access, but day-use picnic areas cost $5 per vehicle. The campground typically opens around May 15 and closes around Nov. 1.

Bring your own water and supplies, because the nearest gas station and services are back in Laramie. Check the official website for current conditions before you go.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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