Platte Ridge
- 15.2 mi
- round trip
- 887 ft
- climb
- 8,997 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- May–Sep
- best months
Is Platte Ridge 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.
Platte Ridge is a hard out-and-back hike in Wyoming's Platte River Wilderness, within the Laramie Ranger District of the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest. The trail runs about 15 miles long with an elevation gain of 887 feet, rising from a low point of 8,260 feet to a high of 8,997 feet. It is a natural-surface route, and horses are allowed. It is not an accessible trail. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Centennial, Wyoming, put July highs around 76°F with lows near 48°F. That station sits a few hundred feet below the route, so temperatures on the ridge run a little cooler. The closest neighbors are the Dansel hike, about half a mile away, and Pelton Creek Campground, about 0.6 miles away. Douglas Creek is a hike about a mile off, and the Snowy Range climbing area lies roughly 5.4 miles away.
Local outfitters
- Deer Haven RV Park37 mi away
- Alpine Lodge at Red Feather Lakes42 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
Best time to go · May–Sep
Best time to visit Platte Ridge
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, 19 mi away at 8,170 ft. The station sits about 800 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.
Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive
Photo: Greg Younger, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Lakes Trail
~31 min drive
3.53-mile out-and-back trail in Wyoming with 440 ft of elevation gain.
HIKE
Douglas Creek
~2 min drive
Douglas Creek is a 19.24-mile out-and-back trail in Wyoming with 1,618 feet of elevation gain.
HIKE
Cottonwood
~12 min drive
Cottonwood is a 3.45-mile out-and-back trail in Wyoming with 99 feet of elevation gain.
HIKE
ALBANY TRAIL
~20 min drive
26.66-mile out-and-back trail in Wyoming with 4,036 ft elevation gain and loss.
HIKE
Dansel
Next door
2.38-mile out-and-back trail in Wyoming with 62 ft gain.
HIKE
Platte River
~8 min drive
17.54-mile out-and-back trail along the Platte River in Wyoming with 761 ft gain.
HIKE
Core
~13 min drive
3.74-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado's Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest with 377 ft gain.
HIKE
Quarter
~12 min drive
1.87-mile out-and-back trail in Wyoming with 105 ft elevation gain.
HIKE
Pinkham Mountain Loop
~13 min drive
5.01-mile loop in Colorado's Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest with 417 ft gain.
HIKE
Camp Creek Loop
~13 min drive
2.08-mile loop in Colorado's Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest.
