Laramie, WY: Come for the Hike, Stay for the History

Laramie is a two-for-one: Medicine Bow National Forest is wild on the edges and downtown’s unique historical stories can’t be beat. We came chasing alpine lakes and granite scrambles—but found ourselves also tugged into jail cells, voting booths, and train platforms.

It’s the rare place where you can top out at 12,020 feet before lunch and spend the afternoon learning why a 70-year-old woman’s short walk to the polls still echoes today.

Start with a Hike

I’ll admit that more than cowboys or historical curiosities, my first draw to Laramie was beyond the plains to the Medicine Bow National Forest. The city is surrounded by it, with Happy Jack Recreation Area and Vedauwoo Recreation Area (and more) to the east and the Snowy Range Mountains to the west.

On this trip, we opted to head west, specifically to hike the Medicine Bow Peak Trail. It’s only 3.4 miles, but steep and rugged. AllTrails calls the “hard” hike about a 3.5 hour excursion. Unless you’re me – then it’s a bit longer.

The rocky pitch, boulder scrambles and sore calves are worthy of the 360-degree views the peak offers those who reach the top. They are unmatched, especially from 12,020 feet up!

If spending half your day (or more) on a single hike isn’t possible because of timing or poor knees (I get that) or because you are not yet acclimated to the altitude, then consider heading that way anyway.

The first half-mile of the hike is relatively flat and offers gorgeous views of the same mountain range, beckoning lakes and towering trees. Seriously, the views are stunning from top to bottom on this hike. Just do what you can, then listen to the birds as you sit by one of the lakes.

Alternatively, here are some easier hikes you may enjoy:

Turtle Rock Loop Trail in Vedauwoo is an easy hike with something for everyone. It usually takes about an hour depending on stops, picture-taking, etc. You might see moose and other animals in this area so be prepared! It can also be busy depending on time of day. 

Curt Gowdy Hidden Falls Trail – This is so fun and gives a cool look at all the different Wyoming landscapes. Plus, there is a waterfall at the end. It is usually busy and there are sometimes photoshoots and bikers on the trail as well (just to be aware of). Definitely worth the trip out of town! 

Looking for more? Here are some helpful links.

Pro Tip: Quick note about Medicine Bow. There is a $5 parking fee so bring cash. It’s right as you turn off onto the dirt road, so don’t miss it – they actively give tickets to those that don’t pay. Also, there is ample parking, but if it’s full you can park along the side of the road.

Step Back in Time

We spent three days and two nights in Laramie, because the hike isn’t the only thing to do here. There is amazing history to take in, also – some of which was new to me and made a lasting memory.

Wyoming Territorial Prison

We wandered through what was once Wyoming’s only federal penitentiary, where the past grabs you—iron bars, echoey corridors, and the puzzling stat that roughly 25% of inmates escaped from here.

Don’t skip the smaller stories at the Wyoming Territorial Prison. There’s an exhibit on Dr. May Preston Slosson, the first female prison chaplain, whose presence feels pretty radical for the era (but not for the town, as you’ll learn next.) Butch Cassidy also has a display here —this is the only prison that ever held him.

And a nod to the broom factory—where inmates once worked—showcases the machinery used before they set it on fire in 1912, as a protest.

Wear comfy shoes, plan for about an hour or so, and bring a little trunk space—they sell factory-style broomcorn brooms in the gift shop, and they are oddly irresistible.

Women’s History

One of the coolest things I learned on this trip? Wyoming doesn’t just flirt with women’s history—it plants a flag. The territory granted women the vote in 1869, a full 50 years before the 19th Amendment, and Laramie became ground zero.

In 1870, 70-year-old Louisa Swain walked to the polls and became the first woman in the U.S. to cast a ballot under an equal suffrage law. Be sure to grab a picture with her statue at the Wyoming Women’s History House, just a block from where she voted.

Courthouse “firsts” stack up here, too. In 1870, Eliza Stewart Boyd served on a Laramie jury in a murder trial—the first female juror anywhere in the world. Lawyers objected; the judges held the line on her participation.

The roll call keeps going: Mary Godat Bellamy, the first woman to serve as a representative in Wyoming’s Legislature; Martha Boies, the world’s first female bailiff; and Nellie Tayloe Ross, the first woman governor in the United States—Wyoming again.

You can trace all of this (and then some) at the Wyoming Women’s History House—small, but worth a stop. Check hours, bring a camera, and give yourself time to read the plaques.

Railroad Town

Laramie wears its Union Pacific past right on its sleeve, and I recommend walking the free downtown history walking tour to learn more about it – as well as other post-railroad historical nuggets about Laramie.

Here are a few highlights that really stuck out to me.

• Depot double-take. We started our tour at the pedestrian footbridge—tracks fanning out below, the depot right next door. The original passenger depot sat two blocks north until a 1917 fire. Its replacement lives here—now a tidy museum with big railroad nostalgia. Free tours on Mondays; we were hiking and missed it, but the photos suggest it’s a fantastic stop.

• Lovejoy’s traffic jam. A few blocks away, mechanical whiz Elmer Lovejoy built Wyoming’s first automobile in his bike shop. In 1898, he demoed it to Union Pacific passengers so enthusiastically the train left 20 minutes late.

• Jailhouse corner. We passed the site of Laramie’s first jail—where Calamity Jane cooled her heels and Frank McCall (who killed Wild Bill Hickok) did time.

• From tent saloons to the Buckhorn. This rail town has always known its bars. We ducked into the Buckhorn—locals, veteran-friendly, whiskey poured like they mean it. Buckhorn came well after the railroad explosion, but the vibe is still rough and tumble.

• Dance hall, brothel, bookstore. Across the street is what once was Phillips Hotel with an upstairs housing a slew of tiny rooms that served for the railroad brothel house. A few of the rooms survive inside Second Story Books bookstore now, which is a gem.
  • Next door is Night Heron Books and Coffeehouse, a used bookstore/café that might have been my favorite downtown stop.
  • And next door to that is Big Dipper – my kids’ favorite- An unbelievably amazing ice cream parlor.

• The Johnson Hotel. Finally, The Johnson Hotel, once considered one of Laramie’s finest overnights, was designed to catch the elite rail travelers’ attention. The hotel was gutted in a 1955 fire that killed seven. No longer a hotel, the building is still a Downtown landmark.

Laramie’s the kind of place that asks you to look twice—once for the view, and again for the story hiding under it. Make a point to consider it for your next vacation.