Brooklyn Lake Campground

The Snowy Range of the Medicine Bow Mountains are a marvelously accessible little piece of high country in southern Wyoming west of Laramie. Highway 130 winds right by the highest peaks, and the area is wonderful for lovers of alpine terrain who don’t want to do long or steep hikes. Some of the campgrounds in the area have been closed due to dead or dying trees creating an unsafe condition, so the camping options are limited. One of the best options in the area is the Brooklyn Lake Campground.

The campground is set just a short walk from the lake, and nearly all of the 19 sites have a view of the lake. Like many National Forest campgrounds, this one is somewhat rustic, with vault toilets, rough dirt roads (including the 2-mile access road from the highway), and sites of all sizes that are varying degrees of level. Some of the sites are big enough for a 30- to 35-foot RV. There are no hook ups, and the only water is from hand pumps. All sites are first-come, first-served for 2015, and it does fill up on the weekends during its very short season (the campground is above 10,500 feet in elevation).

There are two trailheads within a short walk of the campground, Sheep Lake Trail and Lost Lake Trail, and it is a short drive to the Lewis Lake and Mirror Lake trailheads for more high country hikiing. The lakes in the area are full of fish, the wildflowers in and around the campground and lake are spectacular in mid-summer.