High-plains university town in southeastern Wyoming, with frontier storefronts and Snowy Range access nearby.
Laramie sits at 7,200 feet on the high plains of southeastern Wyoming, a university town with a frontier past and more character than you would expect from a place this small. The University of Wyoming gives it a lively feel — good coffee shops, a decent bookstore, and a surprisingly strong art museum on campus.
The Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site is the real draw for history buffs: Butch Cassidy did time here, and the restored buildings bring the 1890s convincingly to life. Downtown Laramie has a well-preserved collection of Victorian-era storefronts, many of them now housing bars and restaurants that cater to the college crowd.
What makes Laramie special, though, is its position. The Snowy Range mountains are half an hour west, with hiking in summer and skiing in winter. Medicine Bow National Forest stretches out beyond them. The drive over Snowy Range Pass on Highway 130 is one of Wyoming's most scenic roads — and practically unknown outside the state.
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Getting There
Laramie is 50 miles west of Cheyenne on Interstate 80, about 45 minutes by car. From Denver International Airport, the drive north on I-25 and then west on I-80 takes around 2.5 hours. There is no commercial air service to Laramie; Denver is the practical gateway.
Amtrak's California Zephyr stops at Cheyenne to the east but not in Laramie. Greyhound buses run between Cheyenne and Laramie a few times daily, connecting with the Denver bus network. The town is walkable once you are there, but a car is useful for reaching the Wyoming Territorial Prison and essential for the Snowy Range.
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When to Go
At 7,200 feet, Laramie has a climate that surprises visitors expecting Wyoming to be like Colorado: it is windier, colder, and snowier than Denver, and summer thunderstorms can build over the mountains every afternoon. June through August offers the most reliable conditions for hiking in the Snowy Range, with the pass road typically open late May through October.
The university calendar shapes the town's rhythm: September and early October are lively, with events and a full student population. December through February are cold and sometimes ferociously windy — Laramie holds a weather record or two for sustained winds — but the ski area makes winter worthwhile for those who come prepared.