Laramie Peak

Laramie Peak, a well-known landmark from the earliest fur-trade days, continues today to dominate the landscape of southeastern Wyoming. Early Oregon Trail travelers had it in sight for a week or more, from the time they reached Scotts Bluff, stopped at Fort Laramie a few days later and a day or two after that passed 20 miles from the peak. Travelers today on I-25 from Douglas, Wyo., to Wheatland will find the mountain’s big blue cone looming up to the right for the entire 60 miles.

The peak, 10,272 feet high, is now on the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest. The U.S. Forest Service maintains a good foot trail, which switchbacks up from the Friend Park Campground to the summit, climbing 2,500 feet in three miles. From the top a person can see most of southeastern Wyoming from the mountains of Colorado to the south, Pumpkin Buttes to the north and the Black Hills of South Dakota to the northeast. To reach the campground, follow Wyoming Highway 94 and county and forest service roads 47 miles south from Douglas. Click here for detailed directions, a trail description and campground fees.