In a time of people pinning hidden campsites on instagram, sharing secret swimming holes on Pinterest and ruining magic outdoor quiet for all, I’m at a crossroads. To share or not to share? But as a white woman I feel like I have no right to any of this earth other than to love and nurture it and treat it with absolute reverence. I seek to share natural spaces with everyone I meet and so I'll share this one with you and pray that you treat it with the same sacred love that I have.

I’ve been to the Medicine Bow mountain range 3 times now and each time I’m more enchanted.

The first time I went was in 2019 on the tail end of a 3 week hiking/backpacking adventure that began in Arizona, took me to the San Juan Mountains in Southern Colorado, backpacking in the Wind Rivers, only to be carried out early— cradled in the wings of thousands of mosquitos. Because the backpacking trip ended prematurely we made an impromptu drive to Medicine Bow on our way back to Colorado and fell in love.

I visited again in 2021 as a prep stop for the higher elevations in Wyoming. We flew into Denver, stayed with my aunt near Ft. Collins and then car camped one night in Medicine Bow to get gear out and tested, do a brief hike at elevation and eat veggie burgers over an open fire before backpacking for a week. (I highly recommend this practice any time you fly in for a backpacking trip— get your gear out and use it before you’re in the backcountry—- ideally at elevation)

So, when my plan of taking my daughter to Leadville, CO— a favorite town of mine—-for a quick camping trip was derailed by the bowels of hell that is forest fires—- I quickly decided to pivot up north and share another magical location with both Sulie and my dad. It was a stunning experience and I wanted to share some of my takeaways here.

The best campground is Brooklyn Lake. It’s small and has a stunning view of Medicine Bow Peak. It sits at 10,500 ft of elevation and has 19 sites available—- 5 of which are pull through, the rest are dedicated tent sites. There are two water pumps with potable water, two vault toilets and there’s trash collection. This site opens July 10 and closes September 12th and it’s stunning!

If you don’t get lucky with a Brooklyn Lake site, Sugarloaf is also popular and centrally located. I’ve stayed there before and at 10,800 ft it’s the highest campsite in the park. It’s a highly exposed campground, as is Brooklyn Lake, so be prepared for windy nights.

We didn’t plan ahead early enough to get into either of these sites so we wound up at the massive North Fork Campground which couldn’t have been more perfect for us! It sits at about 9,200 feet of elevation and has 60 sites, most of which are RV friendly— though no where in the park offers electricity (it’s too tricky with the freezing weather). The reason we loved North Fork: It was quiet, more protected and there was a creek! We stayed at site 11 for two nights and my toddler threw every stone she could find into that water!

Every vault toilet we used on the trip was pristine and both visitor centers were excellent at providing resources and souvenirs.

I highly recommend a few hikes but again, I had my toddler with me so we stuck to the easier options and they did not disappoint!

Lake Marie has a lovely area to bop around with beautiful views. There’s a sidewalk that skirts the lake and leads up to an excellent fishing/picinic area at Mirror Lake. My favorite for an “easy” hike is the Lewis Lake, South Gap Lake and Snowy Mountains Trail. It’s 2.9 miles total with less than 350 feet of elevation gain. It’ll make you feel like you’re in Italy with the views of stark, snowy peaks, (seemingly) close enough to touch.

There are also really neat historic tidbits. Like, Lake Marie was named after Mrs. Mary (Marie) Bellamy—- a prevalent suffragette who was the first woman elected to the Wyoming Legislature in 1910. Go Mary Bellamy! There’s also Ryan Park Campground, I can’t speak to the camping there but it’s situated next to what used to be a POW camp during WWII. German POWs were kept there. Sidenote: I noticed on this last trip that many of he plaques around Med Bow have been removed — such as the one describing Mary Bellamy and her dedication. I have pictures of it from 2019 if anyone is interested.

This camping/hiking trip was a different sort for me, as I learn how to explore my favorite old haunts, now with a toddler but I couldn’t recommend this enough. It hasn’t yet been inundated with the crowds, it’s a smaller geographic area, manageable in a few days and a perfect addition to a family trip out west! Add it onto your Rocky Mountain National Park trip. My first time there in 2019 we went from Med Bow down to Grand Lake for a day of paddleboarding! This time we bopped over to State Forest State Park to hike Lake Agnes (an EXCELLENT hike for small kids!)

Check out Medicine Bow on your family trip out west. It’s become one of my favorite places!