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.