Known far and wide as a climbing mecca, we’ve been talking about hiking in Vedauwoo Recreational Area since we moved to Cheyenne last fall. After one failed attempt in winter (the parking area was inaccessible due to several feet of snow and both the temperature and wind chill were unable to climb into the single digits!) we finally made another go, stitching together several trails for a nice loop hike.

We didn’t set an alarm so by the time we were up and out, made the 30-mile drive, and found parking, it was mid-morning and fairly busy.

We set out on Turtle Rock trail and quickly ran into a group of older ladies who asked us to take their picture. They had been friends for 50 years and were revisiting memories they made here when they were back in college and this was apparently quite the party location! They took a couple photos of us and wished us well in our hiking and in our relocation to Cheyenne. It was a great way to kick off our hike.

It’s possible to stay on Turtle Rock trail and simply loop around Turtle Rock, which many people were doing. It’s a very popular spot for climbing and we saw dozens of people scaling the granite rocks.

We followed the trail partway around and then caught the Skeleton trail, which veered north toward another series of intersecting trails.

Thanks to all of the thunderstorms sizzling through each afternoon, the area is still lush and green – there were trees, shrubs, and wildflowers galore, and I was grateful for their shade because it was heating up and the puffy clouds were failing to protect us from the searing sun.

The downside to the unusual amount of rain we’ve been receiving was the marshy areas of open space we traversed – the sloppy mud was par for the course, but the mosquitoes and flies were terrible. No amount of moving seemed to deter them, and Brian was constantly smacking at my legs to try and remove them.

While they were annoying during our hike, it wasn’t until we were home and climbing into the shower that I fully appreciated the damage they had done. Despite my long sleeves and pants, my arms, shoulders and legs were covered in rapidly swelling welts. I will not make the mistake of hiking around here without spraying down my clothes and exposed skin – and I am not ashamed to say I am missing Washington state where we never dealt with bugs!

Happily we were able to cross through the standing water areas into other rocky terrain with fewer bugs and incredible views of the Medicine Bow National Forest. I’m still growing accustomed to the wide open skies, sage brush, and red rock here and loving the colorful landscape we’re just starting to explore.

From Skeleton trail we caught Cow trail to loop back toward Turtle Rock. No sooner had we started down this new path when I was startled by unusual movement up ahead and paused, forcing Brian to come up short behind me.

The signs at Turtle Rock warned about moose in the area, and I was pretty sure what I saw moving behind the rocks up ahead was a larger animal. We waited for a few minutes before cautiously moving forward and suddenly three large animals quickly came around a tree to our left – cows!

I guess the trail is aptly named – although they seemed just as surprised to see us as we were to see them. They ended up being the only cows we encountered on this section of the hike, and I think all parties involved were fine with that!

We had to cross over Middle Crow Creek and its offshoots throughout our hike and appreciated the narrow boards other people had tossed across the wider and deeper sections of the water so we could pass. The water was really moving in a few areas and these informal ‘bridges’ were sketchy but necessary.

One of the more unusual setups we had to navigate involved a board leading up to a bolder with another plank straddling from the bolder to the other bank. The boards were flimsy and steep – the pictures don’t quite do the experience justice. These different obstacles definitely kept the hike interesting!

We regained the trail around Turtle Rock, cut through the campground, and eventually made our way back to the trailhead and our car. It was toasty out, and we were ready for our backup water bottles and the chance to rehydrate on the drive home.

Our hike clocked in at 8.5 miles and 750 feet of gain. Since our starting elevation was over 8,000 feet, I didn’t mind the minimal gain and was happy we met our goal of passing the 8 mile mark on this hike. We’ve just started training for a big through-hike we’re doing this fall so this was a good initial endurance test. More hiking – including back at Vedauwoo – ahead!