Vacation advice for wyoming (Cheyenne, Laramie: restaurants, shops, pool)

[STACY.JANECKA]

We will be in Cheyenne for Frontier days but want to explore more. Was thinking of a trip through Laramie, Medicine Bow and then not sure. Want to do some light hiking and picnic-ing in the park. Any suggestions? and what about white water rafting? And should we stay in Rawlins or drive over to Saratoga or is there somewhere closer to stay?

[sunsprit]

if your primary interest in a Wyoming visit is Frontier Days, then you should base yourself nearby. Cheyenne would be the #1 choice for lodging, perhaps followed by staying in the Fort Collins CO area which has a lot of hospitality industry there about 50 minutes away from Cheyenne. If you're attending the night concerts, I'd not want to be driving any distance after the concert.

Rawlins or Saratoga are each several hours away from Cheyenne and not a very suitable for a place to stay for access to Cheyenne. Unless you have a specific interest in Rawlins, I'd suggest that it's not a tourist destination, either ... and lodging there isn't particularly high on my travel list (having been weather'ed out there a few times and had to stay in the area). Saratoga at least has the scenic mountain drive to access it (not the I-80 and thence south route), the valley it sits in, a modest sized lake, and the hobo hot springs open to the public ... which might be worth a visit. Be advised that the hobo hot springs is a fairly modest facility with a main pool area and a smaller cooler hot tub area adjacent. Otherwise, unless you're planning a stay at one of the dude ranches in that area, Saratoga doesn't present much to visitors.

Light hiking and picnic opportunities abound in the area near Cheyenne. Vedauwoo has several entry areas, one is a federal site. Cheyenne has a park area up there best accessed off of Happy Jack Road west of Cheyenne, although it's still the better part of an hour to drive there. You can park your vehicle and hike in a modest distance to some streamside sites or simply picnic in the wooded or meadow areas. There's also the Curt Gowdy park area with a lake, hiking, and picnic areas ... closer to town.

White water rafting is not near to Cheyenne.

Laramie has a modest "old downtown" area with shops and restaurants. There are UW museums, too.

Not sure what your interest is in Medicine Bow other than you picked out the name as a place of interest ... it's essentially just a intersection of two state roads in an area of mining and extractive industry. Perhaps you intended a drive through the Medicine Bow Nat'l Forest? If you are seeking a scenic drive from Cheyenne, I think you'd head through the Medicine Bow mountains West of Laramie via Hwy 130 to visit Saratoga. Alternatively, consider Hwy 230 from Laramie to Woods Landing and up around to Encampment, south of Saratoga.

You might also consider a day trip and picnic up to Brooklyn Lake, west of Laramie, up in the mountain range.

Knowing what your interests are would make it a lot easier to give you specific information re the area ....

[jody_wy]

Saratoga there are float trip on the North Platte more so for fishing