Laramie River
Encyclopedia
The Laramie River is a tributary of the North Platte River
, approximately 280 miles (450.6 km) long, in the U.S. state
s of Colorado
and Wyoming
.
It rises in northern Colorado, in the Roosevelt National Forest
in the Front Range
, in western Larimer County
. It flows NNW into Wyoming, along the east side of the Medicine Bow Mountains
, past Jelm and Woods Landing, then NE emerging from the mountains 22 miles southwest of Laramie
. The river then flows north through the town of Laramie. In the Laramie Plains it joins the Little Laramie River
. The Laramie River then continues north through the Laramie Plains
and through Wheatland Reservoir
. It flows NE through the Laramie Mountains
. Emerging from the mountains, it receives the North Laramie River
5 mi (8 km) north of Wheatland
and Chugwater Creek
7 mi (11 km) NE of Wheatland. It joins the North Platte opposite the town Fort Laramie
.
In its upper reaches in Colorado, the river supplies water to the Cache La Poudre River
via the Laramie-Poudre Tunnel
. The tunnel, which is approximately 2 mi/3.2 km long, was finished in 1911 as part of a larger irrigation
project for northern Colorado.
The river was named for Jacques La Ramee
, a French-Canadian fur trade
r who lived in the area in the 1820s. His arrow-ridden body was found near the mouth of the river on the North Platte by his companions, who named the river in his honor. The Laramie Mountains
, as well as the City of Laramie, Wyoming
, were later given the same name.
The Laramie River is well known as an excellent brown trout
fishery. Fly fishing is popular, but larger fish can be caught on minnow and crawfish-imitating lures. Public access points are present both in the town of Laramie
and south of town, all the way to Woods Landing and beyond. During the summer and fall, a variety of mayflies, stoneflies, caddis, and chironomids provide abundant forage for the resident trout and a great angling opportunity for dry fly enthusiasts. North of Laramie
, the river contains walleye
and channel catfish
that have entered from Grayrocks Reservoir near Wheatland
. These can be caught on a variety of artificial and natural baits.
North Platte River
The North Platte River is a major tributary of the Platte River and is approximately long counting its many curves, It travels about distance. Its course lies in the U.S...
, approximately 280 miles (450.6 km) long, in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
s of Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
and Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
.
It rises in northern Colorado, in the Roosevelt National Forest
Roosevelt National Forest
The Roosevelt National Forest is a National Forest located in north central Colorado. It is contiguous with the Colorado State Forest as well as the Arapaho National Forest...
in the Front Range
Front Range
The Front Range is a mountain range of the Southern Rocky Mountains of North America located in the north-central portion of the U.S. State of Colorado and southeastern portion of the U.S. State of Wyoming. It is the first mountain range encountered moving west along the 40th parallel north across...
, in western Larimer County
Larimer County, Colorado
Larimer County is the seventh most populous and the ninth most extensive of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county is located at the northern end of the Front Range, at the edge of the Colorado Eastern Plains along the border with Wyoming...
. It flows NNW into Wyoming, along the east side of the Medicine Bow Mountains
Medicine Bow Mountains
The Medicine Bow Mountains are a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains that extend for from northern Colorado into southern Wyoming. The northern extent of this range is the sub-range the Snowy Range...
, past Jelm and Woods Landing, then NE emerging from the mountains 22 miles southwest of Laramie
Laramie, Wyoming
Laramie is a city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 30,816 at the . Located on the Laramie River in southeastern Wyoming, the city is west of Cheyenne, at the junction of Interstate 80 and U.S. Route 287....
. The river then flows north through the town of Laramie. In the Laramie Plains it joins the Little Laramie River
Little Laramie River
The Little Laramie River, often referred to simply as the Little Laramie, is one of the largest tributaries of the Laramie River, flowing . The Little Laramie is formed by the merger of three smaller streams, the North Fork, the Middle Fork and the South Fork of the Little Laramie...
. The Laramie River then continues north through the Laramie Plains
Laramie Plains
The Laramie Plains is an arid highland in south central Wyoming in the United States. The plains extend along the upper basin of the Laramie River on the east side of the Medicine Bow Range. The city of Laramie is the largest community in the valley...
and through Wheatland Reservoir
Wheatland Reservoir
Wheatland Reservoir is the name of three reservoirs located near Wheatland in the U.S. State of Wyoming. Wheatland Reservoir Number 1 is located nearest to the town of Wheatland. It was formed by impounding Canal No 3 which is fed by Sybille Creek coming off the eastern slope of the Laramie...
. It flows NE through the Laramie Mountains
Laramie Mountains
The Laramie Mountains are a range of moderately high peaks on the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains in the U.S states of Wyoming and Colorado. The range is the northernmost extension of the line of the ranges along the eastern side of the Rockies, and in particular of the higher peaks of the...
. Emerging from the mountains, it receives the North Laramie River
North Laramie River
The North Laramie River is a tributary of the Laramie River, long, in southeastern Wyoming in the United States.It rises in the Medicine Bow National Forest in the Laramie Mountains, in northern Albany County. It flows south, then east-northeast and east, emerging from the mountains and joining...
5 mi (8 km) north of Wheatland
Wheatland, Wyoming
Wheatland is a town in and the county seat of Platte County in southeastern Wyoming, United States. The population was 3,548 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Wheatland is located at ....
and Chugwater Creek
Chugwater Creek
Chugwater Creek is a tributary of the Laramie River, long, in southeastern Wyoming in the United States.It rises in the Laramie Mountains in eastern Albany County, northeast of Laramie. It flows northeast, emerging from the mountains and flowing past Chugwater, where it turns north-northwest,...
7 mi (11 km) NE of Wheatland. It joins the North Platte opposite the town Fort Laramie
Fort Laramie, Wyoming
Fort Laramie is a town in Goshen County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 243 at the 2000 census. The town is named after historic Fort Laramie, an important stop on the Oregon, California and Mormon trails as well as a staging point for various military excursions...
.
In its upper reaches in Colorado, the river supplies water to the Cache La Poudre River
Cache La Poudre River
The Cache la Poudre River is in the state of Colorado in the United States.Its headwaters are in the Front Range in Larimer County, in the northern part of Rocky Mountain National Park. The river descends eastward in the mountains through the Roosevelt National Forest in Poudre Canyon...
via the Laramie-Poudre Tunnel
Laramie-Poudre Tunnel
The Laramie-Poudre Tunnel is an early transmountain tunnel in the U.S. state of Colorado. The tunnel transfers water from the west side of the Laramie River basin, which drains to the North Platte River, to the east side Cache la Poudre River basin that drains to the South Platte River. The tunnel...
. The tunnel, which is approximately 2 mi/3.2 km long, was finished in 1911 as part of a larger irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
project for northern Colorado.
The river was named for Jacques La Ramee
Jacques La Ramee
Jacques La Ramée was a French or French-Canadian fur trader who lived in what is now the U.S. state of Wyoming after moving there in 1815. In 1820 or 1821, he left for the season to go trapping along what is now known as the Laramie River...
, a French-Canadian fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
r who lived in the area in the 1820s. His arrow-ridden body was found near the mouth of the river on the North Platte by his companions, who named the river in his honor. The Laramie Mountains
Laramie Mountains
The Laramie Mountains are a range of moderately high peaks on the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains in the U.S states of Wyoming and Colorado. The range is the northernmost extension of the line of the ranges along the eastern side of the Rockies, and in particular of the higher peaks of the...
, as well as the City of Laramie, Wyoming
Laramie, Wyoming
Laramie is a city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 30,816 at the . Located on the Laramie River in southeastern Wyoming, the city is west of Cheyenne, at the junction of Interstate 80 and U.S. Route 287....
, were later given the same name.
The Laramie River is well known as an excellent brown trout
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
fishery. Fly fishing is popular, but larger fish can be caught on minnow and crawfish-imitating lures. Public access points are present both in the town of Laramie
Laramie
Laramie may refer to Laramie, Wyoming, or one of the many things named after it.-Entertainment:*The Man from Laramie, a 1955 American western movie directed by Anthony Mann*The Laramie Project, a 2000 play written and directed by Moisés Kaufman...
and south of town, all the way to Woods Landing and beyond. During the summer and fall, a variety of mayflies, stoneflies, caddis, and chironomids provide abundant forage for the resident trout and a great angling opportunity for dry fly enthusiasts. North of Laramie
Laramie
Laramie may refer to Laramie, Wyoming, or one of the many things named after it.-Entertainment:*The Man from Laramie, a 1955 American western movie directed by Anthony Mann*The Laramie Project, a 2000 play written and directed by Moisés Kaufman...
, the river contains walleye
Walleye
Walleye is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch...
and channel catfish
Channel catfish
Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States they are the most fished catfish species with approximately 8...
that have entered from Grayrocks Reservoir near Wheatland
Wheatland
-Canada:* Wheatland County, Alberta* Wheatlands No. 163, Saskatchewan a rural municipality of Saskatchewan-United States:* Wheatland, California* Wheatland, Indiana* Wheatland, Iowa* Wheatland, Missouri* Wheatland, New Mexico* Wheatland, New York...
. These can be caught on a variety of artificial and natural baits.
Discharge statistics
- Discharge of the Laramie River at different locations
Statistic Location Time period Discharge Yearly mean discharge Near Woods Landing year 173cf/s Near Bosler year 150cf/s Near Fort Laramie year 129cf/s Month with highest mean discharge Near Woods Landing June 782cf/s Near Bosler June 681cf/s Near Fort Laramie May 365cf/s Month with lowest mean discharge Near Woods Landing January 38.5cf/s Near Bosler September 29.7cf/s Near Fort Laramie September 60.8cf/s