June 29, 2018
On our recent visit to Wyoming, we took a day and drove up to the Snowy Range in the
Medicine Bow National Forest to hike a couple of short trails. This area is beautiful, even more so in person than any pictures can ever show. Plus there are many points of access and trailhead options. What a beautiful, beautiful area to hike!
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| Mirror Lake |
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| Time to hike |
After parking in a small pullout area, we hiked a paved path to Mirror Lake. From the picnic area it was just a short walk on the road to the
Lakes Trail #296 TH. The beginning elevation is around 10,000 feet, so we weren't sure how far we could hike since high altitudes tend to affect Glenn.
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| View of lake with Medicine Bow Mountains |
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| Trail shot with view of the lake |
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| One of many rock cairns along the trail |
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| What a view! |
As we made our way along the trail, we encountered segments of snow along the hills and lakes, but were also treated to numerous swaths of wildflowers. Add to that mix the
Medicine Bow Mountains looming above the lakes with plenty of snow and you get one incredible view throughout this hike. Here are a few pictures of the wildflowers we saw.
We hiked along the trail until we were at about 11,000 feet and decided to turn around. You can hike about 2.7 miles along this trail and reach Medicine Bow Peak, but the elevation started to affect Glenn so we made the 1.5 mile mark the turnaround point. Regardless, it was an amazing hike with so much beauty!
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| Maggie and Chad |
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| Carol and Glenn |
After leaving that TH, we drove a few miles down the road to another trail at a lower elevation, the
Miners Cabin trail. This short loop trail took us to an old cabin that unfortunately had caved in over the winter.
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| Hike #2 |
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| The Miners Cabin -- a fixer upper! |
It also featured remains of the Red Mask Mine. Along the trail there were information plaques that provided historical insights as well as information on the terrain and animals that make up this area.
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| The Red Mask Mine entrance area |
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| View of Miners Cabin trail |
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| More beautiful flowers |
Even though we hiked under 4 miles for the day, we had run out of time and had worked up quiet the appetite. As we drove back to Laramie, we stopped in the historic town of
Centennial for lunch. As we pulled up at the
Mountain View Historic Hotel & Cafe, we found that they were just closing for the day. Bummer.....but wait, the owners, Mike and Kat, decided to stay open just for us! We must have looked famished! A BIG THANKS to owners Mike and Kat!!!! By the way, the food was delicious. Glenn had the sirloin burger and said it was the best burger he has ever eaten. If you make your way to Centennial, Wyoming, be sure to check out the Mountain View Cafe for a meal -- you'll love it too. If you want to stay in Centennial, they also have 6 rooms available.
So with full stomachs to go with tired legs, we headed back into Laramie. But this was not the last of our hikes. Up next, the Turtle Rock Trail in the Vedauwoo Recreational Area.
Trekking Together
Glenn & Carol
We were wondering where your new banner photo came from. Nice! The last time we were in the Medicine Bows it was thinking of snowing. But it's a beautiful area. We're just a little (OK, a lot) jealous that you get to experience blue skies and breathe clean air while we're wallowing in thick smoke here in the Rogue Valley. Stay in WY as long as you can!
ReplyDeleteIt was nice although quite hot (for Wyoming) while there. But alas, back to smoky hot Rogue Valley......I just keep repeating, Autumn is coming....Autumn is coming....Autumn is coming.
ReplyDelete