Land of the Earth-born Spirit

Vedauwoo: Nearly Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About The Area

Other Activities:

Vertical Dance

The Vertical Dance is arguably one of the most spectacular events you can experience in the Vedauwoo and Southern Wyoming area. For more information on this event, visit the Vertical Dance page.

BIKING

For sure there are biking opportunities throughout the entire POLE MOUNTAIN AREA, including trails winding through Greater Vedauwoo. There’s a wide spread of difficulty ranging from very easy roadways to moderate forest trails to flat bad and ultra challenging.
will finish soon ……
In the meantime, try this LINK. These are but a fraction of trails that are found within Greater Vedauwoo and the entire Pole Mountain Area.

HIKING at VEDAUWOO

There are many trails that thread through the Greater Vedauwoo area.
Some of these are indicated on the aerial shots of Central Vedauwoo and Upper & Lower Blair.
Another is the Turtle Rock Trail (TRT), a 3 mile long, USFS – constructed trail that circumnavigates the entire “Turtle Rock Massif.” One trailhead is found at the Holy Saturday parking lot. Originally a climbers trail providing access to more remote areas, it was upgraded in 1997 to accommodate day hikers and mountain bikes. You can see this trail on the little MAP, top right of Central Vedauwoo section.
The Box Canyon Trail (BCT) is seen on this same little MAP, and maybe better on THIS map. It follows an old Forest Service Nature Trail to near the top of Glen Dome where great views of the entire area can be found. There are some great trails around the Reynold’s Area and in the “Outback”, some of which are seldom used. Some of these link this area northward to Blair and on into the Pole Mountain Area, an outstanding day trip. Consider taking along some weather gear, food and water if you head off on the longer trails.

EXISTING TRAILS

Here’s the first effort at a map of existing trails in the Greater Vedauwoo area. It will be improved upon in time, however, it is noteworthy that there is a fairly detailed system of trails to be taken advantage of. Many are simply not used much at all, such as the Reynolds to Blair Trails, while the main trails are used heavily. Check it out and go exploring!! NOTE: Black = roads, light blue = streams, dark blue = major known formations, red = existing trails.

    • A = Central Vedauwoo
    • B = Reynolds and the Outback
    • C = Lower Blair

D = Upper Blair

CAMPING

Despite the infestation of pine trees by the pine bark beetle beginning in the later ’90’s and into present times, a significant event causing considerable deforestation, there is definitely sufficient forest remaining viable in the Greater Vedauwoo and Pole Mountain Areas to maintain aesthetic surroundings. Within this context, camping (as well as hiking and biking) remain a lasting feature of these treasured locations.

Dispersed camping is free except where expressly prohibited. Vedauwoo is designated as a “White Arrow Management Area”, meaning you are supposed to camp within a minimum of at least 100′ from any road and within a maximum distance of 200 feet to help preserve the forest.

There is a use fee campground within the central area, easily seen within the first 10 seconds of the beginning of the video ‘a flight over Vedauwoo’ seen in the introduction to Central Vedauwoo on this site. It is composed of two loops, winding around through boulders and surrounded by iconic rockforms.  There are 28 campsites complete with fire rings, tables and access to 2 enclosed vault-type toilets. There are another 20 sites that do not have such ‘facilities’ although access to heads is present. Accommodations for both tent and trailer camping is available. NOTE: no source of potable water. In general, this area blends well with its surroundings including forestation of pine and aspen. There is access to hiking, rock climbing, a nature trail and all else that Central Vedauwoo offers. The US Forest Service manages the facility and it is usually first come, first served basis. There is a 14 consecutive day limit to these sites. Permits are available at the entry kiosk for $10 per night as well as by calling the Laramie Ranger Division at 303-745-2300 for further information.

There are three other USFS campgrounds within a radius of 6 miles of Vedauwoo. Curt Gowdy, Tie City and Yellow Pine are some of them. Go to the US Forest Service site for more information. Laramie, a university town in the ‘wild west’, with all amenities (including several very reasonable motels) and a population of about 30,000, is only 18 miles west. *NOTE: Road closures are also closing previously impacted, popular campsites, especially the area southeast of the Nautilus AND along the old Reynold’s Road #700D. Plan accordingly!

PLEASE : Leave campsites cleaner than you found them !!
Leave No Trace !!

BOULDERING

Clinton McKinzie firing “Nat’s 3 Star Roof”, a perfect
horizontal hand crack
requiring a hand’s free bat hang thru one section !!
( photo by Vince Ruland )
RECENTLY, greater attention has been paid to bouldering at Vedauwoo. Some classic boulder problems have existed for years, like “University of Mars” in Lower Blair, however there is considerable unexploited potential to be found here.
A handful of local craggers and some wandering, wired bouldering enthusiasts have joined forces to create more boulder problems and document many of them. Some of this creative activity and a downloadable PDF can be found at ….
drtopo.com.
. . . . . ALSO . . . . .
A new edition of ‘the’ bouldering guidebook for Vedauwoo hit the stands this year (’05). Please go HERE for more information!!

ENGAGING FLORA AND FAUNA

There is surprising biodiversity to be found here and one form is the flora. While there is definitely a peak season for flowering plants, tending to be around the first of July, there are bursts of color throughout the summer.

FAUNA AT VEDAUWOO

A multitude of animal species are commonly found here, including lots of birds (jays, finches, crows, blackbirds, falcons, vultures, eagles, etc.), many smaller mammals (beaver, ground squirrels, jack rabbits, badgers, etc.) as well as coyotes, antelope, cattle, climbers, deer, moose and an occasional black bear and cougar. You certainly don’t have to go far to observe most of these denizens. WHAT, NO MOOSE AT VEDAUWOO? These ‘visitors’ were filmed near the gazebo in Central Vedauwoo.  MORE TO COME HERE…….

USFS Website and News

Get information and news from the USFS website here.

Climbing Waiver

Climbing Waiver WARNING: Rock climbing is a dangerous, high-risk sport. The information provided on this website IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE for the user’s judgment or personal responsibility. The recommended route listing and other route information on this website are a...

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Note on Gear

Note on Gear While some climbers want loads of beta on climbs, many don’t. You won’t find detailed beta here. Each climber climbs a route differently. Perhaps a special piece of gear is needed for a crux move, or a tough sequence is best protected by using a...

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Beetle Kill and Forest Thinning

BEETLE KILL AND FOREST THINNING The beetles have found Greater Vedauwoo. Most areas have been affected to one degree or another. The USFS has had to resort to nearly clear – cutting several of these areas. Unfortunately, one such location is right in Central Vedauwoo...

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Road Closures and Restricted Areas (2001)

ROAD CLOSURES and RESTRICTED AREAS Several roads accessing great climbing formations like the Valley Massif and the Reynold’s Complex, as well as many beautiful campsites, have been closed offin recent years due to a variety of reasons such as (but not limited to)...

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Shooting Ban

SHOOTING BAN There is still a ban on the discharge of all firearms, including air and gas powered guns, from MARCH 31st through September 10th according to 36CFR261.58. Take notice of this as it is enforced and the fine is $5,000. This ban includes all weapons, even...

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