My wheels pop and crunch on the gravel pathway that runs impossibly straight through a dense forest of lodgepole pines and aspen. Despite it being a mountain pass at around 9,000 ft. above sea level, the railroad grade of the Medicine Bow Rail Trail is very flat. To accommodate the old locomotive engines, anything more than 2% grade would have made traversing the inclines impossible. Compared to other bike paths I’ve ridden, riding the Medicine Bow Rail Trail is a nice afternoon ride in the woods. My yellow lab running alongside probably disagrees. If she could talk, she would be complaining that snacks were promised.
The Medicine Bow Rail Trail cuts through a section of the Medicine Bow National Forest at the Wyoming and Colorado border along HWY 230. We started our ride at the Woods Creek trailhead, which is right in the middle of the trail network. Eleven miles to the north it ends at Dry Park, which is just past Lake Owen in the Albany, WY area. To the south, the trail follows the old railroad line down to Pelton Creek on the Wyoming/Colorado border. By road, Woods Creek is around 30 miles in either direction along HWY 230 to Laramie, WY and Walden, CO.
History of the Medicine Bow Rail Trail
Not all that long ago, the railroad was built to haul coal, cattle, and lumber between Coalmont, CO, Walden, and all points in between to Laramie and its railway junction. The line changed hands several times from its inception in 1901 until 1996. The railroad ties and iron rails were salvaged in the early part of the 2000s and very little of the spur remained except for the path cut through the forests and mountainsides which wound through the countryside.
Today, the railroad grade is crisscrossed by OHV trails and access roads, which we can see along the ride. The Medicine Bow Rail Trail is marked as off-limits to motorized vehicles, however, with mileage markers along the way and signs indicating the distance to the other trailheads between Lake Owen and Pelton Creek.
Without having to compete with side-by-sides, ATVs and motorcycles, the path is quiet and with the exception of a strip down the middle which is beginning to grow back in with grasses and wildflowers, the crushed gravel and fill dirt lets you ride easy without worrying about thorns or other debris puncturing your tires.
What You Can Expect to See on the Medicine Bow Rail Trail
We head south along the trail, encountering a few dog-leg curves and cuts through hillsides and a few elevated sections above ponds and river-bottoms teaming with cricket frogs and chorus frogs. Songbirds call out through the treetops as we ride through. A few years ago, the dense lodgepole pine forests were gutted by forest fires and now much of the forest that once held these mountaintops stand as blackened reminders of what once was. Aspens and other trees such as spruce and fir are beginning to fill in the desolate sections now, and the beetle-killed and fire-ravaged forests are making a comeback.
Wildlife and Wilderness
The trail shows signs of wildlife. Elk, coyotes, and even the prints of a large moose appear and fade off into the distance as we ride through. My dog stops every so often to drink from the puddles of ice-melt which continue to fill up with the rains. The cool nights and days still haven’t allowed the mosquitoes to swarm. In the distance, we can hear the constant rumble of thunder, reminding us that the rains will be coming through again.
I can hear the tap of the occasional raindrop hitting my rain jacket, but the wind isn’t up and in spite of pedaling I’m not hot. My dog runs alongside, keeping up on the flats and curves. The great thing about old rail trails is how untouched the landscape is. When highways were being carved into the mountains and plains, the railroads slipped through a thin cross-section of terrain, leaving much of it untouched. The same sights you’ll see on a rail trail likely haven’t changed much since the days passengers were riding the rails behind a steam locomotive.
As the miles pass, the sound of thunder changes and after a winter of being housebound, I decide it’s a good time to head back for my yellow lab. She’s more used to the couch than she is keeping up with my bike. My gears clatter and snap into position as I try to keep a good pace, racing against the weather that is quickly rolling in. The Medicine Bow Rail Trail will still be here for another ride this summer and I can explore more along the trail, with or without her.
The Road Back Home
By the time we reach my Jeep, my dog is lagging behind, gassed from the run and ready to sleep. We share a can of vienna sausages and start the drive back home as the lightning flashes across the sky and hard rain begins to strike the windshield.
The drive back to Walden reveals some of the weather we just barely missed. Hail has fallen on the highway and as I drive, I can hear it striking the skid-plates. Passing semi-trucks plaster the windshield. I drop into 4WD to negotiate the water that has nowhere to go. The landscape turns white on all sides like a blanket of freshly fallen snow in autumn.
Lightning strikes Independence Mountain and between Cowdrey and Walden, CO, First Responders are slowing down traffic. An SUV has rolled and the crews are finishing the last of the rescue. Not far from Walden, a cross-country biker on a road bike is pedaling right into the mess, with a line of trucks and cars approaching on his heels. The mountaintops all around are obscured by thick blankets of white clouds and the skies are a heavy grey with more storms on the way.
When we get home, my dog finds a place to nap and doesn’t move for the rest of the day. Not a bad trip for the first one of the season. We’ve narrowly escaped the weather. In the News, the Front Range is getting pummeled with hail. Flash flood warnings are screaming across the notifications on my phone.
Getting Started with Mountain Biking
Mountain biking doesn’t have to break the bank. Unlike many Coloradans whose bikes cost as much as a car, my mountain bike is a work of salvage. Most of it was pieced together from unidentifiable parts of other bikes. I bought the whole thing for $10 at a police auction a few years ago. The mix of twist shifters, caliper and disk brakes, odd-sized gears, and a mix of front-fork suspension and a hardtail rear suspension make the bike work in most trails I’ve ridden. But it can be pretty sketchy. (Check out AngryCatfish for some truly exceptional bikes from entry level pricing to the higher end).
Bike Alternatives for the Casual Rider
E-bikes are a great way to meet in the middle. Not only are they portable like a bike, but help a wide range of riders negotiate hills and rough terrain without having legs like a Tour de France rider. The Electric Bike Company is a great place to get started with getting an e-bike. E-bikes work well for people glamping, overlanding in a rental campervan, retirees, and people hoping to enjoy an afternoon of casually riding bike trails. Plug in your e-bike with an Anker generator at your base camp. Unlike other motorized vehicles, e-bikes are permitted on most biking/hiking trails unless otherwise indicated.
This dispatch was originally on my SixtyMilesfromAnywhere site, before I started living on the road in my skoolie.
*Disclosure on affiliate links. This article contains affiliate marketing links to products on other websites. I get a commission on products at no cost to you, which helps me maintain this site.
Affiliate Links
This blog is supported by affiliate links. Clicking out of this site to any number of links will take you to sites with products that I recommend, have used, and endorse. I get a small commission on these items for every purchase (at no cost to you!) when you visit the site through the link (yes, cookies are actually good for something).
Some Affiliate Links I Think You’ll Like
Check out the link for Origin, which made a damn fine pair of boots for my travels. Use the code HARRIS10 for 10% off your total purchase. I’ve been wearing mine for nearly 4 years and they are still taking me where I need to go.
Use this link for Osprey, who made my day pack and backpack that I haul my life around in when I am solo traveling. Guaranteed for life, I wouldn’t have any other pack.
Want to have an adventure all your own? It all starts with Booking.com. Book flights, trips, and lodging accommodations with this link to Booking.com
For my van life adventures, you’ll want to check out my storefront on Wayward. From cookstoves to solar systems, these are items you won’t want to live without as you make your journey on the road.
Another way you can Support the show is to BuyMeACoffee. Donations are appreciated and go a long way towards bringing you content about all my adventures. If you’ve enjoyed reading what you’ve found today, show your appreciation and buy me a coffee! Or more than likely a gallon of gasoline. It’s like Mad Max out here.