Medicine Bow National Forest Catchments
MEDICINE BOW NATIONAL FOREST CATCHMENTS - RECOMMENDED SURVEY DATES (GENERALLY SPEAKING!)
1st Visit: generally late May to June 30.
2nd Visit: generally July 1 to August 1.
Survey dates are approximate and vary with elevation & annual snowpack. Click on a catchment to see survey dates
Hanging Ponds
- 1st Visit: Adopted
- 2nd Visit: Adopted
Survey dates: Both visits done between June 9 - July 20
Survey difficulty level: Easy
Total survey time: 2.9 hours
Nearest town: Laramie
Accessibility: All vehicles
Hiking time from access point: 1 minute
Key features: Catchment is primarily a wandering stream with small ponds and areas of pooled water. Sites 5 & 6 have stretches with steep banks and fast water. Focus survey effort on pools and slower water. Site 5 has many willows.
Crow Creek Ponds Creek
- 1st Visit: Adopted
- 2nd Visit: Adopted
Survey dates: Both visits between June 9 and July 20
Survey difficulty level: Moderate
Total survey time: 3.7 hours
Accessibility: All vehicles
Hiking time from Access Point: 1 minute
Nearest town: Laramie
Key features: This catchment is composed of a mix of stream and pond sites. The beaver ponds are the best habitat. Stream sites have dense willows, making it hard to survey.
Lodgepole Creek
- 1st Visit: Adopted
- 2nd Visit: Adopted
Survey dates: Both visits complete between June 9 and July 20.
Survey difficulty level: Moderate
Total survey time: 3.8 hours
Accessibility: All vehicles
Hiking time from Access Point: 2 minutes
Nearest town: Laramie
Key features: Catchment is composed of a mix of stream and pond sites. The beaver ponds are the best habitat. Stream sites are very marshy and braided. Some have dense willows.
Fall Creek
- 1st Visit: Adopted
- 2nd Visit: Adopted
Survey dates: Both visits complete between June 16 and July 27
Survey difficulty level: Moderate
Total survey time: 3.8 hours
Accessibility: High clearance vehicles only
Hiking time from Access Point: 45 minutes
Nearest town: Centennial
Key features: Mix of wet meadows with small ponds and a stream. Eastern half has dense willows and portions may be dry.
Battle Creek
- 1st Visit: Adopted
- 2nd Visit: Adopted
Survey dates: Both visits completed between June 2 and July 13.
Survey difficulty level: Easy
Total survey time: 3.3 hours
Accessibility: All vehicles; Consider camping due to long travel time.
Hiking time from Access Point: 5 minutes
Nearest town: Dixon or Encampment
Key features: Follows a fast-moving stream, but amphibian habitat is present in the form of old and new beaver ponds and small pools and wet meadows adjacent to the creek.
Willow Park
- 1st Visit: Adopted
- 2nd Visit: Adopted
Survey dates: Both visits completed between June 9 and July 20.
Survey difficulty level: Moderate
Total survey time: 2 hours
Accessibility: All vehicles
Hiking time from Access Point: 10 minutes
Nearest town: Arlington
Key features: Wet meadows interspersed with numerous small ponds. Excellent amphibian habitat but lots of willows to navigate through.
Sand Lake Bench
- 1st Visit: Adopted
- 2nd Visit: Adopted
Survey dates: Both visits completed between June 16 and July 27.
Survey difficulty level: Easy
Total survey time: 2.6 hours
Accessibility: All vehicles
Hiking time from Access Point: 45 minutes
Nearest town: Laramie
Key features: Wet meadows with a few small ponds.
South Fork Ponds
- 1st Visit: Adopted
- 2nd Visit: Adopted
Survey dates: Both surveys completed between June 16 and July 27.
Survey difficulty level: Easy
Total survey time: 3.2 hours
Accessibility: All vehicles
Hiking time from Access Point: 5 minutes
Nearest town: Laramie
Key features: Collection of wet meadows with small ponds. One stream runs through the catchment. Some sites may be dry except in wet years.
Fletcher Peak
- 1st Visit: Available
- 2nd Visit: Available
Survey dates: Both visits completed between June 9 and July 20.
Survey difficulty level: Easy
Total survey time: 3.9 hours
Accessibility: High clearance vehicles only? Consider camping due to long travel time.
Hiking time from Access Point: 13 minutes
Nearest town: Encampment
Key features: Mix of stream, wet meadows, and old beaver ponds. Good amphibian habitat in beaver ponds. Parts of catchment may be dry, especially in dryer years.
Squaw Creek
- 1st Visit: Adopted
- 2nd Visit: Adopted
Survey dates: Both visits complete between June 9 and July 20
Survey difficulty level: Difficult
Total survey time: 2.5 hours
Accessibility: All vehicles
Hiking time from Access Point: 7 minutes
Nearest town: Laramie
Key features: Mix of wet meadows with a few ponds along a stream. Stream and wet meadow areas have been relatively dry 2012 & 2013 due to drought but may be better in regular years.
Muddy Creek
- 1st Visit: Adopted
- 2nd Visit: Adopted
Survey dates: Both visits complete between June 9 and July 20.
Survey difficulty level: Moderate
Total survey time: 2.6 hours
Accessibility: All vehicles
Hiking time from Access Point: 40 minutes
Nearest town: Laramie
Key features: Mostly a meandering stream surrounded by wet meadows. Some ponds are present. Some sites have dense willows.
Devil's Gate
- 1st Visit: Available
- 2nd Visit: Available
Survey dates: Both visits completed between June 16 and July 27.
Survey difficulty level: Moderate
Total survey time: 3.9 hours
Accessibility: All vehicles
Hiking time from Access Point: 25 minutes
Nearest town: Encampment or Albany
Key features: Primarily a meandering stream with numerous old beaver ponds. Some sites have more willows than others.
Cecil Ponds
- 1st Visit: Adopted
- 2nd Visit: Adopted
Survey dates: Both visits completed between June 16 and July 27.
Survey difficulty level: Easy
Total survey time: 3.3 hours
Accessibility: All vehicles
Hiking time from Access Point: 6 minutes
Nearest town: Elk Mountain or Saratoga
Key features: Cluster of large and small ponds surrounded by wet meadows.
Fish Creek Park
- 1st Visit: Adopted
- 2nd Visit: Adopted
Survey dates: Both visits completed between June 16 and July 27.
Survey difficulty level: Easy
Total survey time: 3.4 hours
Accessibility: High clearance vehicles only?
Hiking time from Access Point: 1 minute
Nearest town: Saratoga
Key features: Wet meadows and a stream. Many meadows likely are dry except in wet years. Site 5 has a small pond with good amphibian habitat. Make sure to leave enough time to survey Site 5.
Sandstone Creek
- 1st Visit: Adopted
- 2nd Visit: Adopted
Survey dates: Both visits completed between June 2 and July 13.
Survey difficulty level: Difficult
Total survey time: 4.3 hours
Accessibility: High clearance vehicles only; Consider camping due to long travel time.
Hiking time from Access Point: 30-60 minutes depending on downed trees.
Nearest town: Dixon or Encampment
Key features: Follows a wide, fast stream with rocky shores. However, amphibian habitat is found in beaver ponds along the creek and in wet meadows and small pools adjacent to the creek.
Round Mountain
- 1st Visit: Avaliable
- 2nd Visit: Avaliable
Survey dates: Both visits completed between June 2 and July 13.
Survey difficulty level: Easy
Total survey time: 3.3 hours
Accessibility: High clearance vehicles only; Consider camping due to long travel time.
Hiking time from Access Point: 1 minute
Nearest town: Rock River
Key features: Stream surrounded by wet meadow with a few ponded areas. The whole area was badly burnt by the Arapahoe Fire in 2012, but the riparian areas were left relatively intact.
Hog Park
- 1st Visit: Available
- 2nd Visit: Available
Survey dates: Both visits completed between June 9 and July 20.
Survey difficulty level: Easy
Total survey time: 3.9 hours
Accessibility: All vehicles; Consider camping due to long travel time.
Hiking time from Access Point: 5 minutes
Nearest town: Encampment
Key features: Mixture of stream and beaver ponds with adjacent wet meadows; however, meadows may be mostly dry due to drought. It wet years, this catchment may be excellent amphibian habitat.
Ryan Park
- 1st Visit: Adopted
- 2nd Visit: Adopted
Survey dates: Both visits done between June 9 - July 20
Survey difficulty level: Easy
Total survey time: 3.5 hours
Accessibility: High clearance vehicles only
Hiking time from Access Point: 3 minutes
Nearest town: Encampment
Key features: Collection of wet meadows, ponds and stream sections.
