Barber Lake
- 5.8 mi
- round trip
- 344 ft
- climb
- 9,771 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- May–Sep
- best months
Is Barber Lake 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.
Barber Lake is a hard hike in the Laramie Ranger District of Wyoming's Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, about 5.8 miles long with a one-way elevation gain of 344 feet. The trail is on Forest Service land, and the route is out and back, starting at a low point of about 8,741 feet and reaching a high of about 9,771 feet. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show July highs around 76°F with lows near 48°F, and the station sits well below the trail, so temperatures on the higher reaches run cooler. Bikes are allowed on this natural-surface trail, and it is not accessible. The Libby Creek hike lies just 0.2 miles away, and Nash Fork Campground is about 1.3 miles off. Brooklyn Lake Campground and the North Fork Little Laramie River are both within about 3.7 miles.
Local outfitters
- Deer Haven RV Park32 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
- Libby CreekHiking0.2 mi
Nash Fork CampgroundCampingPhoto: Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)1.3 mi- North ForkHiking2.5 mi
- Brooklyn Lake CampgroundCampingPhoto: Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)2.5 mi
- North Fork CampgroundCampingPhoto: Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)2.6 mi
- North Fork Little Laramie RiverCanoeing3.7 mi
Medicine Bow Peak AreaRock climbingPhoto: cogdogblog, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)5.7 mi- West Lake MarieLake fishing5.7 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Lakes TrailHiking · ~9 min drivePhoto: Greg Younger, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Dipper LakeHiking · ~12 min drivePhoto: Greg Younger, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Libby CreekHiking · Next door
- ALBANY TRAILHiking · ~15 min drive
- Heart Lake TrailHiking · ~11 min drivePhoto: Greg Younger, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Medicine Bow Peak TrailHiking · ~8 min drive
- North ForkHiking · ~4 min drive
- North Fork TrailHiking · ~4 min drive
- Tipple TrailHiking · ~10 min drive
- Little Laramie Trail SystemHiking · ~5 min drive
Best time to visit Barber Lake
Best months: May–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
34° / 12°
Feb
35° / 13°
Mar
43° / 18°
Apr
50° / 24°
May
61° / 32°
Jun
71° / 41°
Jul
76° / 48°
Aug
75° / 46°
Sep
68° / 39°
Oct
56° / 28°
Nov
43° / 18°
Dec
34° / 13°
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Centennial 1ne, WY, 5.1 mi away at 8,170 ft. The station sits about 1,600 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.
