Medicine Bow
- 24.7 mi
- round trip
- 877 ft
- climb
- 10,843 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Jun, Sep
- best months
Is Medicine Bow open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists 3 alerts for Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest.
Access Impact: Big Creek Lakes Dam Project
Agency alert covering Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest · USFS · Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest
Trail & Access Impact: Stillwater Reservoir Project
Agency alert covering Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest · USFS · Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest
Snowy Range - 2026 Active Vegetation Operations
Agency alert covering Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest · USFS · Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest
As of · Source: USFS · Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Medicine Bow is a hike in Colorado's Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, set within the Rawah Wilderness and the Parks Ranger District. The Mendenhall Road Trailhead is the starting point, and the trip is an out-and-back covering about 24.7 miles with a total elevation gain of 877 feet, from a low point of about 9,867 feet to a high of about 10,843 feet. State Fish and Wildlife manages the land. The route is rated hard, and it is open year-round. The trail is a natural surface, and horses are allowed, which makes it a viable choice for riders. Summer is the most comfortable season. A nearby weather station records typical July highs around 74°F and lows near 43°F, though that station sits well below the trail's high point, so temperatures up top run cooler. Close by, the Ute Pass Trail and East Sand Hills Trail lie within about 2 miles, and Browns Park Campground and Sage Campground are about 8 miles away.
- Ute Pass TrailHiking1.6 mi
- East Sand Hills TrailHiking1.9 mi
- Shipman Park SpurHiking2.2 mi
- Pache TrailHiking2.4 mi
- La Garde CreekCanoeing5.9 mi
- Browns Park CampgroundCamping8.2 mi
- Sage CampgroundCamping8.2 mi
- Stub Creek CabinCamping9.3 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
West BranchHiking · ~26 min drivePhoto: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- Ute Pass TrailHiking · ~3 min drive
- East Sand Hills TrailHiking · ~3 min drive
- Shipman ParkHiking · ~11 min drive
- Shipman Park SpurHiking · ~4 min drive
- GRACE CREEKHiking · ~9 min drive
- Medicine BowHiking · ~12 min drive
- Pache TrailHiking · ~4 min drive
- Jack Dickens TrailHiking · ~14 min drive
- McintyreHiking · ~13 min drive
Best time to visit Medicine Bow
Best months: June and September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
31° / 11°
9 wet
Feb
33° / 10°
9 wet
Mar
40° / 15°
10 wet
Apr
45° / 20°
10 wet
May
55° / 28°
10 wet
Jun
68° / 36°
10 wet
Jul
74° / 43°
13 wet
Aug
72° / 41°
14 wet
Sep
65° / 34°
10 wet
Oct
51° / 25°
8 wet
Nov
39° / 18°
9 wet
Dec
31° / 11°
9 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Hourglass Rsvr, CO, 28.8 mi away at 9,520 ft. The station sits about 1,300 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
