Labor Day in the Snowy Range

A quick over night trip to the Snowy Range in Wyoming.

After getting back a few days earlier from my Utah trip, someone and I decided that a nice, quick trip would be great.

We wanted a place that would be close by, did not have too many people, was beautiful and did not have I70 traffic to contend with.

A tall order.

But there was a place. A place where we went a few years ago and enjoyed quite a bit: The Snowy Range just outside of Laramie, WY.

Because someone has been in school earning her graduate degree, and not in backpacking, someone was more interested in a camping and moderate hiking trip than a backpacking trip.

Easy enough to do in this area.

We drove up from Boulder and made it to the range in perhaps 3 hrs.  The beauty of it, there was no I70 traffic to contend with and the crowds were surprisingly scant for a holiday weekend.

The hike was a mellow one to the Glacier Lakes area at the Brooklyn Lake TH.

We made it to the TH in the early-mid afternoon after a drive along the Snowy Range Road (Rt 130). There was ample parking.

The hike to the first Glacier Lake was sub-alpine and reminded me of the Brainard Lake area near Boulder, CO : Easy access to scenic lakes nestled among the mountains.  Just fewer people. 🙂

From this lake, we went to Lost Lake where the scene was quiet and stunning:

Seems every area has a Lost Lake, a Mirror Lake, a Bridal Veil Falls, a Crater Lake, and many, many, many more! 🙂

someone enjoyed the scenery as well.

On the way back, a little friend chatted quite a bit at us:

After the hike back, we found some free primitive camping off a forest service road that was quiet and isolated with a view to a small tarn.

A cold beer, a good meal and the setting of the sun proved to be a good end to a quick weekend getaway.

Very enjoyable and just what we needed.

IF YOU SHOULD GO

Getting there: The Glacier Lakes trail head is right next to the Brooklyn Lake camp ground. Use these directions

Maps: The Medicine Bow National Forest Map has a small, but adequate, topo of the Glacier Lakes hikes. It works well for the backpacking loop someone and I did a few years back, too.  For other hikes, you’ll want a real topo map. The USFS map is good for roads and an overview, but not for hiking IMO.

Post Trip:  Heading back into town, you past the Wyoming Territorial Prison.  At $5 pp, the side trip is well worth the stop. Fascinating! The most famous inmate was Butch Cassidy and is featured prominently in the prison brochures.

 

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