Medicine Bow Mountains & National Forest

The Medicine Bow Mountains have a spectacular wilderness area, bursting with natural beauty. Situated alongside the Wyoming-Colorado border, the Medicine Bow-Routt contains Rocky Mountain forests you have to see to believe.

Medicine Bow gets its name from the Native Americans' tradition of bow-making. This tradition usually went along with a ceremony called a powwow. This special type of ceremony was developed for the purpose of curing disease. The bows were constructed of mountain mahogany, with was collected in the mountain valleys of southeastern Wyoming. The Routt is named after John Long Routt, who was the last territorial and first state Governor of Colorado.

The Medicine Bow-Routt covers more than 2.2 million acres - the topography changes depending on the area you are in. Elevations start at 5,500 feet and go to 12,940 feet. The climate can be semi-arid at lower elevations, and cold and humid in higher areas. Frost is a common occurrence, so if you plan on visiting the higher elevations, be prepared for extreme weather fluctuations, such as snow and high winds even when it's summer.

The Thunder Basin National Grassland can be found in northeastern Wyoming in the Powder River Basin between the Big Horn Mountains and the Black Hills. This area changes in elevation from 3,600 feet to 5,200 feet. The climate is semi-arid. Here you can go hiking, sightseeing, hunting, and fishing.