Medicine Bow National Forest: South Branch of Crow Creek

Today Noelle and I wanted to go for a hike somewhere cool but not too far away. We opted to head back to the Vedauwoo area of Medicine Bow National Forest to hike the South Branch of Crow Creek. This is yet another hike on unofficial trail that I discovered in my copy of Marc Smith's "Hiking Wyoming's Medicine Bow National Forest." 

It was an uneventful drive to the trailhead where there was a group camped out with their four-wheelers. We parked and hit the trail, closely following the South Branch of Crow Creek. 

There were a lot of beaver ponds scattered along this length of trail.

There were also a lot of wildflowers in bloom along the trail.

Eventually, the trail led away from the water and through a large, wet meadow.

We passed through a gate and then the trail closely followed a fence line.

The trail became nonexistent as we neared our turnaround point, a fence marking the boundary of a section of Curt Gowdy State Park. 

After a break and a snack we turned around to head back the way we had come. 

Rosie insisted on a few more breaks in the few shady spots along the trail.

We passed back through the meadow, 

and then returned to the car shortly thereafter. Today's after-hike lunch break took us into Laramie. We had hoped to get takeout from Sweet Melissa, but unfortunately, they are closed on Mondays. We opted for Born in a Barn instead. We ate our lunch in the shade at a little park downtown, then picked up some beer from Bond's Brewing to take home.