The Snowy Range Scenic Byway crosses the Medicine Bow Mountain Range of southern Wyoming, taking travelers close enough to Medicine Bow Peak to feel the chill from its year-round glaciers.  Even deep into summer, it is easy to see how the Snowy Range got its name.  Glistening white remnants of last winter's blizzards cap the 12,000 ft peaks.  The byway includes the 27 mile portion of WY Highway 130 that crosses the Medicine Bow National Forest.

The two-lane highway (WY 130) leads over the second highest mountain pass in Wyoming and takes the traveler from low-land sagebrush prairie to a high-altitude alpine environment.  The many lakes and streams in the area are home to rainbow trout, brook trout and Wyoming's only native trout, the cutthroat.  Wildflowers carpet the alpine meadows throughout the summer. 

A number of turn-outs allow the traveler to experience the mountains, whether it is listening to the marmots whistling amongst their community at Libby Flats, taking the short trail over a mountain stream at Lake Marie, or watching hummingbirds at the Brush Creek Visitor's Center.  Wildlife is abundant throughout the byway.

The seasonal pass usually opens by Memorial Day weekend and closes about mid-October. The Byway can be reached by exiting Interstate 80 at Laramie or at Walcott Junction and Saratoga/Encampment.  Driving time  depends on the interests of the visitor.  Driving straight through during the summer will take about an hour.  The route rises to a height of 10,847 ft above sea level.

May 13, 2010