Medicine Bow - Routt National Forests
Thunder Basin National Grassland

USDA Forest Service
Medicine Bow-Routt
National Forests,
Thunder Basin
National Grassland
2468 Jackson Street
Laramie, WY 82070
307-745-2300

Telephone for the
Hearing Impaired
307-745-2307

Head-quartered in Laramie, with district offices in Douglas, Saratoga, Walden, Steamboat Springs and Yampa, visitor opportunities abound on the Forests and Grassland.

The Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests extend from north central Colorado to central Wyoming. The Forests encompass portions of many mountain ranges including the Gore Range, Flat Tops, Parks Range, Medicine Bow Mountains, Sierra Madre, and Laramie Range. The Forests provide year-round recreation opportunities for thousands of people. They also provide wildlife habitat, timber, forage for livestock, and are a vital source of water for irrigation, domestic use, and industry.

There are 10 designated Wilderness Areas on the Forest, approximately 1360 developed sites, 2 ski areas (the Steamboat Springs Ski Area has worldwide acclaim), 162 recreational homes with Forest Service permits, and eight mountain lakes with developed boating facilities. On the combined Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests, downhill skiing and general winter sports are the most popular activities, followed by mechanized travel (including driving, OHV, boating, and bicycling), camping and developed site uses, hunting, and then fishing.

The Thunder Basin National Grassland is located in northeastern Wyoming in the Powder River Basin between the Big Horn Mountains and the Black Hills. The Grassland provides unique opportunities for recreation, including hiking, sightseeing, hunting, and fishing. There are no developed campgrounds; however, camping is allowed. Land patterns are very complex because of the intermingled federal, state, and private lands. The Douglas Ranger District administers the Grassland.

Bark Beetle Epidemic Information

Bark Beetle epidemics continue to grow on the Medicine Bow and Routt National Forests and other National Forests and private lands in Colorado and Wyoming . More than 1.5 million acres of forest in northern Colorado and southern Wyoming are affected by the Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic.

What's happening to the Aspen in Colorado?

Aspen forests in some areas of Colorado are experiencing widespread, severe, rapid dieback and mortality. This phenomenon, termed “sudden aspen decline,” or SAD, affected 139,000 acres of Colorado aspen...

Your Forest Employees in Action!!

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A collection of fun photos from the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests and Thunder Basin National Grassland.