Wintertime Activities in Laramie

One of Laramie’s greatest features is that it is surrounded by large tracks of public land. It is to our advantage as residents to utilize (and protect) that land. While a winter day may not seem like the ideal opportunity to get out and enjoy the surrounding area, if you get moving on a pair of skis or snowshoes, 25 degrees can seem quite toasty under the proper outerwear. Laramie has miles of groomed and ungroomed trails to explore. Just nine miles away, you can access the Happy Jack area, with groomed and ungroomed trails. A few more miles away brings you to Vedauwoo, a classic cross country skier’s and snowshoer’s haven. To the west, lies the Snowies and Woods Landing (for a complete list of ski trails, visit Cycle Wyoming or Laramie Live). Don’t have cross country skis or snowshoes? Rent ‘em! Check out the University of Wyoming Outdoor Program or Westgate Ski.

The most convenient place to go ice skating in Laramie is at the Laramie Ice and Events Center. The Ice and Events Center offers times for public skate. Hours vary weekly, so make sure you check online to get the correct hours. In addition to the public skate hours, the Laramie Ice and Events Center offers a variety of other fun ice-related activities, such as broomball, curling, short track speed skating, and hockey. Not sure you trust yourself on the ice? Take lessons! The Ice and Events Center offers skating lessons. Not even up for lessons? Then sit in the stands and see a hockey game! Whatever your comfort level with ice, the Ice and Events Center has something for you.

With a thousand foot incline just six miles outside of town, Laramie has great sledding. (Although unfortunately, there is no sledding hill that long. Perhaps this should be the next public works project.) The old ski hill up at Happy Jack provides a professional-grade sledding hill: wide and clear of disastrous objects like trees. Sledding is a great group activity that can be done spur of the moment because it requires little gear (no need to pre-plan for rentals). However, when the first snow of the year hits, Wal-Mart may be a little low on sleds. The alternative? Get creative. Sledding is one of the few outdoor sports where improvisation is admired. I have heard the large plastic trays for Washakie work great…..

While you may not realize it, Laramie has a wide array of museums in town. (No need to drive to Denver!) These museums provide a great way to spend an afternoon if the weather dips below zero or the wind flares above 50 miles per hour. The University of Wyoming has four great museums, including the Geological Museum, the American Heritage Center and Art Museum, the Anthropology Museum, and the Rocky Mountain Herbarium (which I would recommend if the weather is terrible. It’s like a trip to a mini jungle). Off campus, there is the Laramie Plains Museum at the Invinson Mansion.

The University of Wyoming provides a wide array of activities, many of which are free and open to the public. (Don’t let the college students have all the fun!) Curious to know how to find out about on-campus events? The University of Wyoming recently developed a campus-wide calendar that synchronizes all the events on campus. The calendar is called Tzolk’in, which is the Mayan word for calendar. Tzolk’in provides detailed information about event location and timing, as well as if the event is open to the public.