Cow Creek Mountain PAA — Cow Creek Mountain Trail head
FIRE BAN: WGFD flags this area as 'Fire Ban is in Effect for this Area' -- check before you plan on any open flame. ACCESS DATES: Open year round Confirm with Game and Fish before you go -- these areas commonly close seasonally for wintering wildlife. This is a designated campground on the Cow Creek Mountain Public Access Area in Albany County, land acquired or administered by the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission. The area runs about 1 acres. Note what a Public Access Area is: Game and Fish describes PAAs as "permanent or long-term easements, or Wyoming Game and Fish Commission-owned land managed by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department for allowing public access for recreational purposes." So the ground under you may belong to a private landowner or to another agency -- several PAAs sit on federal land -- while Game and Fish holds the public-access right and its rules are the ones that govern your stay. Do not be surprised by another owner's signage, and respect any posted boundary. Camping here is genuinely free and first come, first served -- and unlike neighbouring states, Wyoming does NOT make you buy a license or a habitat/entrance pass simply to be on the land or to camp. (If you intend to hunt or fish while you are there, that is a different matter: you need the appropriate Wyoming license and a conservation stamp for that activity.) The rules that bind: you may only camp in the designated spots, no more than 14 consecutive days, and you cannot leave a camp unattended more than 48 hours. After you hit the limit you have to be off that same Game and Fish land for at least 72 hours before returning. Some areas post a limit shorter than 14 days on the sign at the entrance -- if the sign says less, the sign wins. Area-specific regulations from Game and Fish: Access and parking not plowed during winter. No Fireworks. Only public land access is provided. USFS, and State Land Regulations are in effect on those lands. Amenities listed by Game and Fish for the area: Camping on neighboring Federal lands These are working wildlife areas first and campgrounds second -- they exist for habitat, so expect gravel, expect stock, and leave it cleaner than you found it. We have not visited; confirm current conditions and closures with the Wyoming Game and Fish Laramie regional office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Cow Creek Mountain PAA — Cow Creek Mountain Trail head · Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest · WY
- DDump29 mi
- FFuel34 mi
- GGrocery34 mi
- EVEV fast charger34 mi
- HHardware34 mi
- @Mail35 mi
- WWater37 mi
- MMechanic38 mi
- RxPharmacy43 mi
- LLaundry44 mi
- +Urgent care44 mi
- OOutfitter56 mi
The read: water is a real 37-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 34 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 34-mi run (and back).
Not within 60 mi: Propane. Plan those before you head up.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Cow Creek Mountain PAA — Cow Creek Mountain Trail head
Nearby & resupply — around Cow Creek Mountain PAA — Cow Creek Mountain Trail head · Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest · WY (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townToltec · ~6.8 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- Fuelnone within 30 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~29.3 mi
- Groceriesnone within 30 mi
- Mapping is thin out hereAn empty row means nothing is mapped within that radius — not that nothing exists. Small stores, seasonal resorts and single fuel pumps out here often never make it onto the map. Treat these as unconfirmed and ask locally.
EV charging — from Cow Creek Mountain PAA — Cow Creek Mountain Trail head · Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest · WY — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger33.8 mi straight-line E — Wheatland, WY - Tesla Supercharger (at a hotel) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · 1 within 50 · 20 within 100 · 92 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS55.2 mi — Target T0164 (Casper, WY), Casper
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO101.6 mi — NPPD EV STATION SB SINCLAIR DCN, Scottsbluff
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)61.6 mi — BESTWESTERNLAR STATION 1, Laramie, WY · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — Heartland Inn & Suites - Tesla Destination, Wheatland, 33.8 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 102521 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Cow Creek Mountain PAA — Cow Creek Mountain Trail head · Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest · WY — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomCow Creek · ~3.0 mi SE · USFS
- RestroomRoaring Fork Creek · ~5.6 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletLaramie Peak · ~6.0 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletFriend Park · ~6.0 mi NE · USFS
Open Cow Creek Mountain PAA — Cow Creek Mountain Trail head elsewhere
Other camps near Cow Creek Mountain PAA — Cow Creek Mountain Trail head
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Friend Park~6.0 mi · fee
- Mule Creek Ranch WHMA Campground~12.6 mi
- Curtis Gulch~13.1 mi · fee
- Esterbrook~19.7 mi · fee
The unit that manages Cow Creek Mountain PAA — Cow Creek Mountain Trail head
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Cow Creek Mountain PAA — Cow Creek Mountain Trail head are set by Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Windy Peak at 7,890 ft, about 4 miles away. That is about the height of this camp, so it is a fair proxy. We do not repeat a depth here, because any number we stored would be stale by the time you read it — the station publishes today's.
How we know this — Cow Creek Mountain PAA — Cow Creek Mountain Trail head
What we don’t know about Cow Creek Mountain PAA — Cow Creek Mountain Trail head
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it