Curt Gowdy State Park: Crow Creek Trail (Blog Hike #1133)

Trail: Crow Creek Trail
Hike Location: Curt Gowdy State Park
Geographic Location: between Cheyenne and Laramie, WY (41.17344, -105.24172)
Length: 4.1 miles
Difficulty: 7/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: September 2026
Overview: An out-and-back along Crow Creek to the canyon containing Hidden Falls.
Park Information: https://wyoparks.wyo.gov/index.php/places-to-go/curt-gowdy
Hike Route Map:

On The Go Map

Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming July 2, 2027)

Directions to the trailhead: The entrance to Curt Gowdy State Park is located on the south side of SR 216 about half way between Cheyenne and Laramie.  Turn south to enter the park, pay the park entrance fee, and drive the main park road 1.7 miles to the Hidden Falls Trailhead parking area on the right.  Park here.

The hike: Originally named Granite State Park, Curt Gowdy State Park protects 2473 acres in the Laramie Mountains of southeast Wyoming.  The park came to be in 1971 when the State of Wyoming entered into a lease agreement with the City of Cheyenne and the Boy Scouts of America.  The park's name was changed in 1972 to honor Curt Gowdy, the famous sports broadcaster from this area who popularized calling the Rose Bowl "The Grandaddy of Them All."

            Today Curt Gowdy State Park is the crown jewel of the Wyoming state park system.  The park offers 3 man-made lakes, 179 campsites across several campgrounds, and the historic Hynds Lodge, an old Boy Scout and City of Cheyenne lodge that dates to 1922.  The park also offers hiking, mountain biking, and equestrian trails that total 35 miles.  The park's trails traverse a wide range of scenery and elevation, but the park's most popular hiking trail is the Crow Creek Trail described here.  The Crow Creek Trail follows its namesake creek upstream from its mouth at Granite Springs Reservoir, and it leads to an interesting waterfall called Hidden Falls.  Hidden Falls gets its name from its location in a pocket canyon, and while I stopped just short of Hidden Falls, I had a very pleasant hike on the Crow Creek Trail.

Hidden Falls Trailhead

            From the Hidden Falls Trailhead, pick up the Crow Creek Trail as it heads northwest with the main park road on your right.  The Crow Creek Trail is also called the Hidden Falls Trail on some signs and maps.  The park seems to use the 2 names interchangeably, and I will do the same.  After 0.2 miles of gradual descending, you reach an old trailhead and a trail intersection at the south end of Granite Springs Reservoir's causeway.  The Granite Ridge Trail exits left here to climb moderately to a lake overlook.  Continue straight to remain on the Crow Creek Trail.

Granite boulders

            The trail curves left and descends to a level just above the upper end of Granite Springs Reservoir.  If you look across the lake, you can see why this park was originally called Granite State Park: huge granite boulders cling to the hillside.  Wyoming's geology is very complicated with layer upon layer of different rocks.  In general, shales sit upon limestones and sandstones which sit upon schists, gneiss, and granites, but the exact order and composition vary widely across the state.

Crow Creek

            At 0.6 miles, you reach the upper end of the reservoir, and the trail curves right to begin a creekside course on wide sandy-dirt trail.  You will cross Crow Creek 4 times, each time on a nice bridge.  You also pass a small concrete dam and an hydrology station.  Crow Creek has good flow most of the year, and the creekside hiking is easy and pleasant.  At 0.9 miles, a wide bike trail continues straight where you need to turn left.  Watch for the signs for the Hidden Falls Trail to stay on track.

Climbing on rocky trail

            1.3 miles into the hike, the Pinball Trail, another mountain bike trail, exits right.  As directed by more signs, turn left to stay on the Hidden Falls Trail.  Next comes the hardest part of the hike: the trail climbs and descends numerous rock slabs and boulders, sometimes steeply.  A couple of metal railings help prevent you from slipping in steep areas, and you need to take your time to maintain good footing.  Just shy of 1.6 miles, the trail tops a small rise and returns to a more gentle creekside feel.

Mouth of canyon containing Hidden Falls

            Near 1.75 miles, other trails exit first right and then left; the only bench on this hike is also in this area.  Continue upstream to stay on the Crow Creek Trail.  Just past 2 miles, the trail ends in the creek just below Hidden Falls.  Hidden Falls is a popular destination: there were many people here when I arrived early on a Saturday afternoon in mid-September.  To see the waterfall, you will have to hop on some rocks and wade through some water in the narrow canyon.  I feared that such a venture might be above my agility level, so I settled for a view of the pool and cascade at the canyon's mouth.  The trail ends here, so the only option is to retrace your steps to the trailhead to complete the hike.

Fort Laramie National Historic Site: Confluence Trail (Blog Hike #1132)

Trail: Confluence Trail
Hike Location: Fort Laramie National Historic Site
Geographic Location: southwest of Fort Laramie, WY (42.21055, -104.53566)
Length: 1.9 miles
Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: September 2026
Overview: A flat lollipop loop to the confluence of the Laramie and North Platte Rivers.
Site Information: https://www.nps.gov/fola/index.htm
Hike Route Map:

On The Go Map

Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming April 2028)

Directions to the trailhead: From the intersection of US 26 and SR 160 in the town of Fort Laramie, take SR 160 west 0.8 miles to the gravel trailhead parking on the left.  You reach this parking lot immediately after crossing the North Platte River.

The hike: In the mid 1800s, rivers were the main avenues of travel and sources of water on the high plains, and no point in southeast Wyoming had more strategic importance than the confluence of the North Platte and Laramie Rivers.  All of the emigrant trails (Oregon, California, and Mormon) passed this confluence, plus the area had rich commercial value due to the Northern High Plains' bison trade.  The first fort at this confluence was built in 1834 by Robert Campbell and William Sublette, and in 1849 the United States Army purchased an upgraded version of that fort to establish a military presence in the area.  The Army renamed the structure Fort Laramie for its location at the mouth of the Laramie River.

            For the next 40 years Fort Laramie would be the main military post on the Northern High Plains, and all of the region's many Indian Wars were launched and supplied from here.  By 1890, the region's Indian Wars had come to an end, and the fort was closed and sold at auction.  In 1938, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt proclaimed Fort Laramie a national monument, and it was designated a national historic site in 1960.

Historic Fort Laramie

            Today some of the fort's buildings still stand while others have been reduced to foundations.  Visitors can tour the old fort site for free, and a thorough walking tour includes the enlisted barracks, the post trader's store, the old and new guardhouses, and some officers' quarters including a structure called "Old Bedlam," which dates to 1849 and is the oldest documented standing building in Wyoming.  In addition to the old fort, the site offers a short National Recreation Trail called the Confluence Trail.  As its name implies, the Confluence Trail takes you to the confluence of the North Platte and Laramie Rivers, and it forms a pleasant riverside lollipop loop through the plains for which this area is famous.

Trailhead for Confluence Trail

            The Confluence Trail starts at a trailhead about a mile east of the old fort.  There is no way to access the trail from the fort, but you pass this trailhead while driving the usual route into the old fort.  A couple of small wooden signs and a slightly larger information board mark this trailhead.  Immediately you reach a structure of historic interest: the King Iron Bowstring Bridge across the North Platte River.  The King Iron Bridge Company was known for building bridges with speed and efficiency by using prefabricated parts, and this bridge was completed in 1876 with a construction time of only 6 months and a cost of only $15,000.  This bridge is one of the best-preserved examples of such a structure today.

King Iron Bowstring Bridge

            The single-track dirt trail heads south from the bridge with the North Platte River through the cottonwood trees to the left.  The Confluence Trail stays within 1000 feet of the river for its entire distance, which makes for a very flat but sunny and potentially buggy hike.  Thus, this hike feels more like a prairie hike from Nebraska or the Dakotas than any hike you would expect to find in Wyoming.

Trail splits to form its loop

            At 0.35 miles, the trail splits to form its loop.  For no particular reason, I turned right to hike the loop counterclockwise.  Next the trail heads further away from the river, but the sunny prairie feel remains.  Some vehicle noise from the county road comes in from the right just before a spur trail to the county road exits right.  Angle left to continue around the loop.

Laramie River

            0.8 miles into the hike, the trail curves left as you reach the bank of the Laramie River.  The gravel-banked Laramie River is big enough that at first I thought it was the much larger North Platte River.  The trail heads downstream with the Laramie River on your right, and at 1.1 miles you reach the confluence of the Laramie and North Platte Rivers.  Although I came here in the mid-afternoon, the worst time of day to do wildlife watching, I saw several deer and a crane near this point.  A bench makes a nice place to sit, rest, and watch for wildlife.

North Platte River

            The final segment of the loop heads north/upstream with the North Platte River on your right.  Many bugs buzzed around my head, and the hike alternates between sunny grassland and shady cottonwood groves.  At 1.6 miles, you close the loop.  Continue straight/north to return to the King Iron Bowstring Bridge and the trailhead to complete the hike.  Makes sure you drive down the road and walk around the historic fort after your hike if you did not do so before it.