| The Medicine Bow National Forest is located in | | | | may need a long sleeved shirt, a (thicker) jacket, or |
| southeastern Wyoming. It ranges from south of | | | | some extra blankets for your sleeping bag, if not |
| Rawlins to the Wyoming-Colorado border, and | | | | more, depending on the time of the year. During the |
| eastward to just shy of Cheyenne. There are | | | | fall, you may be able to get by with wearing a |
| prepared trails to hike and bike, and trails for | | | | long-sleeved shirt while hunting mule deer, or |
| snowmobile and ATV use. There are campgrounds | | | | antelope, but after night fall, you will need warm |
| where you need to pay for a Forest Service permit, | | | | clothing. |
| and there are areas where you can just throw up a | | | | Larger recreational vehicles are not encouraged during |
| tent. Most Forest Service roads are well marked, and | | | | the fall and winter months, when there is typically |
| finding your way around is not a problem. | | | | large amounts of rain, or snowfall. There are those |
| Campgrounds are marked, as are points of interest, | | | | who use RVs for hunting and camping, but they are |
| and spots for watching wildlife. There are many | | | | not the larger ones. The roads are narrow, and slick, |
| locations where camps had been set up when the | | | | when wet or snow covered. The Forest Service also |
| railroads were cutting trees for railroad ties, and the | | | | discourages vehicle use during the wetter Spring |
| shells of the log cabins are still there. There are also | | | | months, so that roads will not be ruined with tire |
| many reservoirs for boating and fishing, such as | | | | ruts, or other vehicular damage. |
| Turpin, near Elk Mountain, and Rob Roy, about 40 | | | | Wyoming is typically a windy state, but while you are |
| miles outside of Laramie. | | | | up in the mountains, you hardly notice it. There are |
| The biggest reason that I like to camp in the | | | | plenty of trees for cover, and finding a sheltered |
| Medicine Bow National Forest, is because I originally | | | | area for camping is easy. |
| come from the Pacific Northwest, having lived in both | | | | Most of the Forest is close to populated area, so if |
| Washington and Oregon. I like lots of trees. While I | | | | equipment is forgotten, or supplies are running short, |
| was growing up, trees were plentiful, even in the | | | | you are within an hour or two of finding a grocery or |
| cities. Up here there are trees only where water | | | | convenience store. In the Laramie area, the small |
| accumulates. That means in valleys, gullies, ravines, | | | | communities of Albany and Centennial are in the |
| washes, and so on. Not all of Wyoming looks like | | | | foothills, and are well stocked. Towards the Rawlins |
| Yellowstone, or Grand Teton National Parks. There | | | | end of the Forest, are the towns of Saratoga and |
| are mountain areas with trees, wildlife, and snow, but | | | | Encampment. Saratoga not only has grocery and |
| much of Wyoming is also wide open, high-country | | | | convenience stores, but is quite famous for their free |
| prairie. You will find miles of prairie grass, sage brush, | | | | hot springs. |
| and not many trees. | | | | We have only camped in the Forest, as a family, a |
| Because of the high altitude, overnight temperatures | | | | couple of times, but our family has always had fond |
| are cool, to cold. Some of us who live here even | | | | memories of our trips. I have camped up there |
| forget that from time to time. At home we can | | | | frequently, with one son, or another, and whether |
| sleep comfortably with only a sheet on the bed, but | | | | we come back with any game, or not, we always |
| when you go up into the mountains, you are going | | | | enjoy our time camping in the Medicine Bow National |
| up another 1,000 feet, or so, in elevation, and so you | | | | Forest. |