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.
Routt National Forest Elk Winter Range Voluntary Closure
November 15 - April 15 This area of the Routt National
Forest is important winter range for resident elk heards.
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...
USDA Forest Service, Medicine Bow - Routt National Forests,
Thunder Basin National Grassland
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Last modified
January 13, 2009