USFS · National forest · Wyoming, Colorado

Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest

Medicine Bow–Routt National Forest is the official title to a U.S. Forest Service managed area extending over 2,222,313 acres (8,993.38 km2) in the states of Wyoming and Colorado, United States. What were once three separate areas, Medicine Bow National Forest, Routt National Forest, and Thunder Basin National Grassland were administratively combined in 1995 due to similarity of the resources, proximity to each other and for administrative purposes.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest4.6 million acresUSFSWYCO109 campgrounds within 10 mi237 Forest Service sites
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StatesWyoming, Colorado
Size4.6 million acres (Forest Service administrative boundary (gis_acres))
Forest Service code0206, region 02
Center point43.6521, -105.0228
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 27)

Boundary map

7 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground Forest Service recreation site

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

64 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 45 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FS · Inside
Bear Lake Campground
First-come43 sites
FS · Inside
Big Creek Lakes Campground
Reservable60 sites
FS · Inside
Blackhall Lookout
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Blacktail Creek Campground
First-comeCO
FS · Inside
Bottle Creek Group Picnic Site
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Brooklyn Lake Campground
Reservable28 sites
FS · Inside
Brush Creek Pavilion
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Brush Creek Work Center Barrack
Reservable1 site
Show 4 more

97 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 237

The Forest Service lists 237 recreation sites in this forest, among them 89 day hikings, 52 campgrounds, 21 trailheads, 19 picnic areas. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.

Show all 60

The 60 closest to the center point are listed; 177 more are on the Forest Service site.

Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Park · 12 mi
Rocky Mountain National Park
National Monument · 18 mi
Devils Tower National Monument
National Monument · 25 mi
Jewel Cave National Monument
National Register listings within 15 miles · 97 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest?

4.6 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest in?

The boundary crosses Wyoming and Colorado.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest?

64 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary, including Bear Lake Campground, Big Creek Lakes Campground and Blackhall Lookout. 109 in all are within ten miles. Dispersed camping is allowed on most national forest land outside developed sites; check the forest page for closures.

Source: Where to camp

Where are the trailheads in Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest?

The Forest Service lists 237 recreation sites here, including 89 day hikings, 52 campground campgrounds and 21 trailheads. Each one links to its Forest Service page.

Source: Trailheads and sites

How do I get to Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 43.652, -105.023. Rocky Mountain National Park is 12 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

How dark is the night sky at Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 27 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, very dark ground, a faint glow at most.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Which national parks are near Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest?

Rocky Mountain National Park (12 mi), Devils Tower National Monument (18 mi) and Jewel Cave National Monument (25 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest?

97 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Ames Monument and Brooklyn Lodge.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage and code: the Forest Service Enterprise Data Warehouse.
  • States: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons; a state is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area.
  • Description: Medicine Bow–Routt National Forest on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, matched by forest code.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.