| Medicine Bow–Routt National Forest | |
|---|---|
 Medicine Bow National Forest | |
  | |
| Location | Wyoming-Colorado, U.S. |
| Nearest city | Cheyenne, WY |
| Coordinates | 41°35′N106°13′W / 41.583°N 106.217°W /41.583; -106.217 |
| Area | 2,222,313 acres (8,993.38 km2)[1] |
| Established | May 22, 1902[2] |
| Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
| Website | Medicine Bow–Routt National Forest |
Medicine Bow–Routt National Forest is the official title to aU.S. Forest Service managed area extending over 2,222,313 acres (8,993.38 km2)[3] in the states ofWyoming andColorado,United States. What were once three separate areas, Medicine Bow National Forest, Routt National Forest, andThunder Basin National Grassland were administratively combined in 1995 due to similarity of the resources, proximity to each other and for administrative purposes.
The Medicine Bow National Forest section (1,096,891 acres) is located in southeastern Wyoming and was originally created as a forest reserve in 1902. It was named after the Native Americanpowwows in which numerous tribes would congregate here in search ofmountain mahogany, which was an excellent wood for the manufacturing of bows, and to perform rituals hoped to cure diseases and thus make "good medicine". Areas of interest include theSnowy Range where the highest peak isMedicine Bow Peak at 12,013 feet (3,662 m) and is visible from Snowy Range Pass, 10,847 ft (3,306 m), on Wyoming highway 130. TheEncampment River,Huston Park,Savage Run andPlatte River Wildernesses are all located within the Medicine Bow portion of the National Forest. (A small part of the Platte River Wilderness extending into Colorado is shared with Routt National Forest, as indicated below.)[4]Vedauwoo is located immediately north ofInterstate 80 and consists of numerous rock outcroppings popular withrock climbers. In descending order of land area the forest is located inCarbon,Albany,Converse,Natrona, andPlatte counties. There are localranger district offices located inLaramie,Saratoga, andDouglas.[5]
Routt National Forest lands (1,125,438 acres) are located in northwestern Colorado. TheSteamboat Ski Resort is located in the forest, onMount Werner. The forest is named afterJohn Routt, the firstGovernor of Colorado. It was established in 1905 by PresidentTheodore Roosevelt. The forest encompasses 1,126,346 acres (4,558.16 km2). TheContinental Divide divides the forest in half, with the eastern part drained by theNorth Platte River and the west drained by theYampa River. Routt National Forest contains seven wilderness areas entirely or partially within it. Entirely within Routt are theMount Zirkel and theSarvis Creek Wildernesses. Lying mostly within neighboring forests but extending into Routt are theFlat Tops (White River NF 83.5%),Neota (Roosevelt NF 97.3%),Never Summer (Arapaho NF 68.4%), Platte River (Medicine Bow NF 96.8%), andRawah (Roosevelt NF 98.0%) Wildernesses. In descending order of land area the forest is located inRoutt,Jackson,Rio Blanco,Grand,Moffat, andGarfield counties. There are local ranger district offices located inSteamboat Springs,Walden, andYampa.
Thunder Basin National Grassland (547,620 acres) is located in northeastern Wyoming and consists primarily of lands leased to cattle interests. In descending order of land area the grassland is located inWeston,Converse,Campbell,Niobrara, andCrook counties. There are local ranger district offices located inDouglas.
The forest headquarters is inLaramie, Wyoming.
There is a weather station bySand Lake (Wyoming), about 5 miles (8 km) north of Medicine Bow Peak. Sand Lake has asubalpine climate (KöppenDfc).
| Climate data for Sand Lake, Wyoming (10050ft or 3063m), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1988–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 47 (8) | 47 (8) | 59 (15) | 64 (18) | 72 (22) | 76 (24) | 85 (29) | 80 (27) | 74 (23) | 64 (18) | 53 (12) | 55 (13) | 85 (29) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 35.9 (2.2) | 39.8 (4.3) | 49.4 (9.7) | 57.2 (14.0) | 64.2 (17.9) | 71.0 (21.7) | 75.7 (24.3) | 73.6 (23.1) | 68.6 (20.3) | 57.8 (14.3) | 45.8 (7.7) | 37.5 (3.1) | 76.4 (24.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 22.1 (−5.5) | 25.1 (−3.8) | 33.5 (0.8) | 40.3 (4.6) | 50.1 (10.1) | 59.9 (15.5) | 67.4 (19.7) | 65.2 (18.4) | 56.1 (13.4) | 42.2 (5.7) | 30.1 (−1.1) | 22.3 (−5.4) | 42.9 (6.0) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 15.1 (−9.4) | 16.7 (−8.5) | 23.7 (−4.6) | 29.4 (−1.4) | 38.5 (3.6) | 46.9 (8.3) | 54.0 (12.2) | 52.3 (11.3) | 44.8 (7.1) | 33.4 (0.8) | 22.6 (−5.2) | 15.3 (−9.3) | 32.7 (0.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 8.0 (−13.3) | 8.2 (−13.2) | 13.7 (−10.2) | 18.5 (−7.5) | 26.9 (−2.8) | 33.9 (1.1) | 40.5 (4.7) | 39.3 (4.1) | 33.4 (0.8) | 24.4 (−4.2) | 15.1 (−9.4) | 8.2 (−13.2) | 22.5 (−5.3) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −12.2 (−24.6) | −11.7 (−24.3) | −6.1 (−21.2) | 1.2 (−17.1) | 11.3 (−11.5) | 25.4 (−3.7) | 32.4 (0.2) | 30.9 (−0.6) | 21.0 (−6.1) | 5.7 (−14.6) | −5.5 (−20.8) | −12.6 (−24.8) | −17.4 (−27.4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −25 (−32) | −25 (−32) | −14 (−26) | −8 (−22) | −2 (−19) | 18 (−8) | 24 (−4) | 23 (−5) | 7 (−14) | −13 (−25) | −19 (−28) | −26 (−32) | −26 (−32) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 4.33 (110) | 4.15 (105) | 4.71 (120) | 5.71 (145) | 4.24 (108) | 2.36 (60) | 1.58 (40) | 1.24 (31) | 2.14 (54) | 3.46 (88) | 3.72 (94) | 4.12 (105) | 41.76 (1,060) |
| Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 70.1 (178) | 84.7 (215) | 98.9 (251) | 102.3 (260) | 91.9 (233) | 56.8 (144) | 4.9 (12) | 0.1 (0.25) | 2.7 (6.9) | 19.8 (50) | 36.9 (94) | 54.9 (139) | 105.7 (268) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 18.3 | 17.2 | 18.1 | 18.2 | 14.6 | 9.3 | 7.0 | 6.9 | 9.6 | 12.1 | 14.5 | 16.7 | 162.5 |
| Source 1: XMACIS2 (snow depth 2006–2020)[6] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA (Precipitation)[7] | |||||||||||||
North French Creek is another weather station located near Medicine Bow Peak, roughly 4 miles (6.4 km) southwest of the peak and 10 miles (16.1 km) from Sand Lake.
| Climate data for North French Creek, Wyoming, 1991–2020 normals, 1988-2020 extremes: 10130ft (3088m) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 48 (9) | 48 (9) | 57 (14) | 68 (20) | 72 (22) | 81 (27) | 86 (30) | 92 (33) | 79 (26) | 71 (22) | 58 (14) | 48 (9) | 92 (33) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 38.9 (3.8) | 39.5 (4.2) | 47.8 (8.8) | 57.1 (13.9) | 64.0 (17.8) | 71.8 (22.1) | 78.7 (25.9) | 75.8 (24.3) | 71.0 (21.7) | 58.9 (14.9) | 46.1 (7.8) | 36.7 (2.6) | 79.4 (26.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 23.3 (−4.8) | 25.6 (−3.6) | 33.3 (0.7) | 40.2 (4.6) | 50.0 (10.0) | 60.4 (15.8) | 69.4 (20.8) | 66.8 (19.3) | 57.5 (14.2) | 42.7 (5.9) | 29.7 (−1.3) | 22.2 (−5.4) | 43.2 (6.2) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 14.8 (−9.6) | 16.4 (−8.7) | 23.0 (−5.0) | 29.1 (−1.6) | 38.8 (3.8) | 47.6 (8.7) | 55.8 (13.2) | 54.2 (12.3) | 46.1 (7.8) | 33.3 (0.7) | 21.1 (−6.1) | 14.1 (−9.9) | 32.5 (0.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 6.3 (−14.3) | 7.1 (−13.8) | 12.6 (−10.8) | 18.1 (−7.7) | 27.4 (−2.6) | 35.0 (1.7) | 42.3 (5.7) | 41.3 (5.2) | 34.0 (1.1) | 23.5 (−4.7) | 12.7 (−10.7) | 6.0 (−14.4) | 22.0 (−5.6) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −12.5 (−24.7) | −10.7 (−23.7) | −5.0 (−20.6) | 2.3 (−16.5) | 11.7 (−11.3) | 23.8 (−4.6) | 33.5 (0.8) | 31.6 (−0.2) | 20.3 (−6.5) | 5.8 (−14.6) | −6.6 (−21.4) | −13.1 (−25.1) | −17.4 (−27.4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −27 (−33) | −30 (−34) | −23 (−31) | −15 (−26) | −1 (−18) | 11 (−12) | 19 (−7) | 11 (−12) | 7 (−14) | −25 (−32) | −26 (−32) | −37 (−38) | −37 (−38) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 5.24 (133) | 4.55 (116) | 4.65 (118) | 5.63 (143) | 4.26 (108) | 2.09 (53) | 1.55 (39) | 1.57 (40) | 2.37 (60) | 3.46 (88) | 4.15 (105) | 4.61 (117) | 44.13 (1,120) |
| Source 1: XMACIS2[8] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA (Precipitation)[9] | |||||||||||||
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