The Medicine Bow National Forest is located 30 miles west of Laramie on Wyoming State Highway 130 just above the small mountain town of Centennial. WY 130 is a scenic loop that goes west over the Snowy Range Mountains, up to 11,000 feet in elevation, to the small town of Saratoga and then continues north to meet up with I-80 at Walcott Junction. This loop travels past countless alpine lakes and streams full of brook trout and cutthroats. The fishing is better, however, the farther that you get away from the main highway. People don’t seem to venture far from their vehicles and explore the fishing opportunities that are only small day hike away. The Medicine Bow National Forest has great hiking with trail heads clearly marked at most of the roadside stops, including the Sugarloaf Access area. Some of the lakes to keep in mind are the Twin Lakes, North and South Gap, Bear Lake, the Shelf Lakes, Libby Lake, Lewis Lake, Rob Roy Reservoir, and Lake Owen. Rob Roy, Lake Owen, and Turpin Reservoir are the only lakes that have a cement boat ramp and allow combustion motors. Some of the creeks to keep in mind are Libby Creek, Douglas Creek, French Creek, and Pelton Creek. The elevation will vary from 9,000feet to approximately 11,500 feet; fish tend to run larger at lower elevations. The lakes and creeks at the highest elevations are only without ice for a couple of months a year making it hard for fish to grow very fast. You can expect to mainly catch brook trout, Splake, cutthroats, and rainbows 6-12 inches. There are lakes that contain larger fish, in fact a 28 inch Splake was caught just a couple of years ago, but the majority of the fish will be closer to twelve inches. For more information on the Medicine Bow National Forest contact FOUR SEASONS ANGLERS or the Medicine Bow/Routt National Forest Service in Laramie at 307-745-2300.
