Medicine Bow Rail-Trail
Build it and they will come....
That was the dream of many involved with making the Medicine Bow Rail-Trail a reality.
This trail is a non-motorized trail that has been converted from a portion of the abandoned Laramie, Hahns Peak and Pacific Railroad.
Construction of the trail began in the summer of 2005 and it was just completed in August 2007.
The Rail-Trail has a hard-packed gravel surface (like that found in a baseball outfield) averaging 10 feet wide.
It is suitable for mountain bikes or cycle-cross bikes (road bikes are not recommended).
Grades and curves are very gentle and suitable for users of varying abilities.
The trail is 21 miles from the Pelton Creek Trailhead in the south to the Dry Park Trailhead in the north.
The Pelton Creek, Woods Creek and Lake Owen Trailheads are open for use.
All three have accessible vault toilets and picnic tables. Lake Owen has a hand pump for water.
The outhouse at Lincoln Gulch was installed in summer 2008 - and it's a donation from Cycle Wyoming to the trail users.
Trail Segment Descriptions and Conditions
An overview of the conditions of the trailheads as of Summer 2008 at each of the trail segments is provided below:
Pelton Creek to Vienna Trailheads (6 miles)
Pelton Creek trailhead marks the southern end of the Rail-Trail.
Facilities include a restroom, picnic table and gravel parking area where a parking use fee is required.
The Vienna trailhead lacks any facilities but is well suited for horseback riders to load and unload their horses.
The path between these two trailheads is resurfaced with small gravel and it has rolling terrain. There's a bit more of an uphill going from Pelton Ck to Vienna.
This segment offers great solitude and has probably the least traffic. Cows like the route, though, and they can creat a lot of divots on the trail if it's wet.
Vienna to Woods Creek Trailheads (5 miles)
The trail along this segment is resurfaced with small gravel. The Woods Creek trailhead includes a restroom, picnic table and gravel parking area that requires a parking use fee. The trail is resurfaced but needs more use to keep weeds from sprouting on the path. The trail passes through a small segment of the 2003 Gramm forest fire, making it interesting to see how the forest is coming back.
Woods Creek to Lincoln Gulch Trailheads (3 miles)
The trail crosses Highway 230 with easy-to-open gates on each side of the highway. Use caution when crossing the highway. The trail from Highway 230 north to Fox Park is unimproved and rough. A culvert washout was repaired in 2007 but resurfacing was not completed. It will be resurfaced eventually. While the route is rough, it is fine via mountain bicycle and is very scenic.
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| Beaver ponds are common along the Rail-Trail |
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The Rail-Trail reroutes through Fox Park due to the lack of access for a short segment of the railbed. There’s a steep but very short drop from the railbed to the gravel road that curves through Fox Park. Follow Forest Road 512 for a short bit before taking the 90-degree turn onto Forest Road 517, heading north. Follow this road just past Fox Park and then turn north, back onto the Rail-Trail.
This reroute is marked with temporary signs.
The Lincoln Gulch trailhead has a gravel parking area and a new restroom donated by the non-profit group Cycle Wyoming.
Lincoln Gulch to Lake Owen Trailheads (5 miles)
This segment of trail is the most bicycle-friendly of all the trail segments due to the more compacted surface. Parking at either end and doing an out-and-back is an excellent route for a family outing. The trail is resurfaced with small gravel and the terrain is flat to rolling.
The trailhead at Lake Owen includes a restroom, picnic tables, potable water supply and gravel parking area. A caboose is also on the site along with information reader boards about the railroad. An added treat is the handicap-accessible hiking trail that takes a mile-long path around Lake Owen. A campground and additional parking areas are on the southeast end of the lake and all sites require a day use parking permit.
Lake Owen to Dry Park Trailheads (2 miles)
The trail from Lake Owen to Dry Park is a bit soft, but has a small gravel surface. It was recently resurfaced and just needs more traffic to help pack it down. The terrain is flat to rolling.
The Dry Park trailhead lacks any development or facilities, but has a dirt parking area. There is no fee required to park at this site.
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| Medicine Bow Peak can be seen from Lake Owen. |
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Getting There
The nearest airport is in Laramie, a half hour drive from the trail on either U.S. Highway 130 or 230.
Denver International Airport is 150 miles away. Driving from Denver can be more economical than flying into Wyoming.
To start at the northern-most trailhead on Dry Creek Road, head west out of Laramie on U.S. Highway 130. After 22 miles, turn south (left) on Wyoming Highway 11, toward Albany. After 8.5 miles, turn southeast (left) onto Woods Landing Road, following the signs to Lake Owen. After 3.5 miles the road divides; continue straight onto Forest Road 517 and go 3.5 miles to the Dry Creek Road trailhead. This trailhead is little more than a dirt and gravel wide spot in the road and is not marked. The rail-trail entrance is on the south (left) side of the road, heading south toward Lake Owen. Another option is to continue on Dry Creek Road about 2.5 miles, following the signs to Lake Owen. This takes you to the Lake Owen trailhead.
To start at the southern end at the Woods Creek or Pelton Creek trailheads, head out of Laramie on U.S. Highway 230. After 25 miles you’ll enter Medicine Bow National Forest. Continue on the highway another 6.5 miles to the Woods Creek trailhead, located on the south (left) side of the highway. If you prefer to start at the southernmost end point, continue another 7.5 miles down the highway to the Pelton Creek trailhead. Just after crossing the Wyoming-Colorado state line, turn north (right) on Forest Road 898. The trailhead is one mile down this gravel road.
A daily fee ($5) or season pass ($30) is required for parking at the five developed trailheads; parking at the Dry Creek Road trailhead is free.
Trail Information
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| Moose are common along the trail. Give them plenty of space! |
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The rail-trail is marked with mileage posts every mile, but the miles are the distances of the entire historical railway that started in Laramie. All trailheads have parking areas; there are restrooms at all but the Dry Creek Road and Vienna trailheads. Lake Owen is the only site with potable water.
In the snowy months, the ungroomed rail-trail attracts skiers and snowshoers. With an elevation ranging from 8,770 to 9,030 feet, the trail stays wintry well into the spring. Cyclists and horseback riders should wait until mid June to get on the trail, while runners and hikers willing to dodge the occasional snowdrift can get on sooner. Some of the best cycling is in the fall, but trail users should wear orange vests during hunting season—normally the month of October. Full-suspension and hybrid mountain bikes work well on this trail. Motorized vehicles are not permitted.
Where to Stay, Where to Eat
There are numerous motels and hotels in Laramie, ranging from the high-end Hilton Garden Inn and Holiday Inn to more economical accommodations at Motel 8 and Econolodge. Check the Laramie Chamber of Commerce for listings.
For lodging with a western theme closer to the trail, check out the accommodations in and around Centennial.
The Mountain View Historic Hotel (and restaurant) is especially welcoming to cyclists, since the owner is an avid pedaler. The rooms are furnished in a western motif and the restaurant is complete with espresso coffee bar; www.themountainviewhotel.com, 888.400.9953, 307.742.5476.
Centennial Valley Trading Post has a two upstairs rooms and a restaurant, 307.721.5074.
The Old Corral (and restaurant) offers a more traditional motel atmosphere, www.oldcorral.com, 307.745.5918, 800.678.2024
The Vee Bar, about 10 miles east of Centennial, has bed and breakfast accommodations, http://www.veebar.com/index.html, 800.483.3227.
Mountain Meadow Cabins offers individual mountain cabins where you fix your own meals, www.mtnmeadowcabins.com, 307.742.6042;
Snowy Mountain Lodge has refurbished cabins and a restaurant, www.snowymountainlodge.com, 307.742.7669.
The WyColo Lodge (and restaurant), www.wycololodge.com, 888. RMK.2006, is in the cabin community of Mountain Home and is especially popular in the winter with the snowmobile crowd.
In Albany, try Albany Lodge (and restaurant) , www.albanylodge.com, 307.745.5782.
You can find dispersed camping –camping outside of a campground – throughout Medicine Bow National Forest; sites are especially numerous along the road to Lake Owen. There are a number of National Forest campgrounds in the vicinity; those closest to the trail are Lake Owen and Miller Lake.
For more camping information check the Medicine Bow National Forest Website
Other things to do in the area
Partially housed in a 1907 Hahn’s Peak and Pacific Railroad depot, the Nici Self Museum (2734 State Hwy 130, Centennial, 307.742.7763), takes you back to the early history of the Centennial Valley with exhibits depicting the rich mining, lumbering, ranching, and railroading heritage. A 1944 Union Pacific caboose and many large pieces of ranching, farming, and mining equipment are on display.
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| A group of road cyclists pedal "up top" on Highway 130 in the Snowy Range |
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For a spectacular up-close view of Medicine Bow Peak, follow the Snowy Range Scenic Byway, 29 miles along U.S. Highway 130 from Centennial to Saratoga. You’ll pass Mirror Lake and beneath Medicine Bow Peak. There’s a trail up to the peak; it takes about three hours and is quite strenuous due to the high elevation and steep terrain, but at the top you’ll be rewarded with views at least 100 miles in all directions. Once in Saratoga, take some time off to soak in the hot springs.
Step back into the time of Butch Cassidy and the Wild West as you wander through the restored 1872 prison at Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site in Laramie. The site features other buildings as well, and hosts special events such as 1800s-style baseball games, a horse barn theater, and the Butch Cassidy Days.
A brief history
Occupying the corridor of an early 20th century rail line through quintessential western forest and mountain terrain, the Medicine Bow is Wyoming’s newest—and longest—rail-trail; the grand opening was held in late September 2007. Former District Ranger Clint Kyhl saw the project through from its start in 2001. “It began with a feasibility study conducted by a private contractor and funded by the Wyoming Department of Transportation,” Kyhl says. Once the study was finalized, U.S. Forest Service personnel stepped up to move the process forward, with Kyhl leading the charge
“There were two main reasons the Forest Service got involved,” he says. “First, the railroad bed structure was in good shape and we wanted to put it to public use. Second, the community support for the project was overwhelming, in both enthusiasm and dollars.” Working with the Laramie Bicycling Network, Cycle Wyoming, the Wyoming Department of Transportation, the City of Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities, and the Wyoming Institute for Disabilities, Kyhl’s team raised more than $1 million, which was used to resurface the rail-trail, repair culverts and clean up debris along the corridor. In addition, the money funded construction of five trailheads—all with parking lots and four with restrooms—and a mile-long circuit trail at Lake Owen with a handicap-accessible fishing pier.
The Hahn’s Peak and Pacific Railroad, between Laramie, Wyo., and Coalmont, Colo., first hauled gold and then expanded to transport livestock, timber and coal as well. The rail corridor “really was a marvel of engineering when it was constructed in the early 1900s,” says historian James Lowe. “At 9,050 feet, this was the highest elevation standard gauge railroad in the country. There are ‘muleshoe’ loops coming out of the town of Albany that allowed trains to scale the steep grade.” (That section is on private land and not currently part of the rail-trail.) Such engineering achievements are one reason the corridor is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The railroad operation was abandoned in 1996, and in 1999 the rails and ties were removed. Debris littered the corridor but the route itself was in excellent shape. Now the corridor is cleaned up, although rail stakes and other bits and pieces of the former life of the trail can still be found. Outside the corridor, there is little evidence of the bustling commerce once associated with the railroad. Train depots and other structures are long gone, except for the refurbished depot in Centennial that houses the Nici Self Museum.
The caboose, which was donated by WyColo Railroad, the last railway operator, rests on a short section of track at the Lake Owen trailhead. Eventually the Forest Service hopes to open the caboose for overnight stays. Today, picnic tables at the trailhead invite visitors to stop and enjoy the mountain setting.
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| Motorized travel is not allowed on the trail but is a constant problem. |
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