Pole Creek Group Campground
Campground
Campground · 0.9 mi from the trail
Wyoming · Cross-country skiing · Near Laramie
Summit Trail
- 0.3 mi
- round trip
- 15 ft
- climb
- 8,789 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- May–Sep
- best months
Is Summit Trail 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.
Summit Trail is a short, easy cross-country ski route in the Laramie Ranger District of the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest in Wyoming, managed by the Forest Service. The trail is about a quarter mile from the nearest town, Laramie, and the whole trip is an out-and-back of about half a mile with almost no change in elevation, just a 15-foot rise and fall. Winter is the natural season for this trail. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Laramie show January highs around 33°F with lows near 12°F, and the station sits well below the trail, so temperatures on the summit run cooler. Moose Loop, a cross-country ski route, and the Haunted Forest Trail, a hike, both start about 0.1 mile away. Pole Creek Group Campground and Yellow Pine Campground are within about a mile for anyone planning an overnight stay.
Around this trail
Add any of these when you start a tripSleep close Eat after Jersey Mike's Subs
Fast food
On your way back · 9 mi
If it rainsCogdogblog, CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Places © OpenStreetMap contributors · Photos: Cogdogblog, CC BY 2.0 (commons)
More in LaramieBest time to go · May–Sep
Best time to visit Summit Trail
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
33° / 12°
7 wet
Feb
35° / 15°
7 wet
Mar
44° / 21°
8 wet
Apr
51° / 28°
11 wet
May
60° / 36°
12 wet
Jun
73° / 46°
10 wet
Jul
81° / 52°
11 wet
Aug
79° / 49°
10 wet
Sep
72° / 43°
8 wet
Oct
56° / 31°
8 wet
Nov
43° / 23°
7 wet
Dec
34° / 14°
7 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Laramie 4se, WY, 6.8 mi away at 7,390 ft. The station sits about 1,400 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 snow worth the drive
Photo: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Snowy Range Ski Area
~1h 9m drive
Snowy Range Ski Area in Wyoming has 35 runs, 5 lifts, and 876 ft of vertical.
SKI
Pearl Creek
~54 min drive
4.94-mile cross-country ski trail in Colorado with 1,254 ft of elevation gain.
SKI
Summit Trail
Next door
0.17-mile out-and-back trail in Wyoming with 21 ft of elevation gain.
SKI
Moose Loop
Next door
0.13-mile out-and-back route in Wyoming with 40 ft of elevation gain.
SKI
Haunted Forest
Next door
0.29-mile loop in Wyoming with 98 ft of elevation gain.
SKI
Van's Loop
Next door
0.29-mile out-and-back out-and-back in Wyoming with 111 ft of elevation gain.
SKI
Van's Loop
Next door
0.72-mile out-and-back out-and-back in Wyoming with 126 ft of elevation gain.
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Tie City Loop
Next door
0.23-mile loop in Wyoming with 69 ft of elevation gain.
SKI
Phil's Pholly
Next door
0.44-mile out-and-back ski route in Wyoming with 51 ft of elevation gain.
SKI
Summit Loop
Next door
0.35-mile out-and-back out-and-back in Wyoming with 24 ft of elevation gain.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
