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A dark green Toyota pickup with a roof tent parked in tall dry grass as mist closes in.

Forest Service cabin or lookout

Bow River Ranger Station

Forest Service cabin or lookout in Medicine Bow-Routt NFs & Thunder Basin NG, Carbon County, Wyoming. 8,300 feet. 11.3 miles from Elk Mountain.

Reserve on Recreation.gov
Managed by
Forest Service Medicine Bow-Routt NFs & Thunder Basin NG
Elevation
8,300 ft USGS elevation model, at the mapped point
Sites
1 1 cabin electric
Hookups
None listed
Reservations
Recreation.gov
County
Carbon County

Overview

The Bow River Ranger Station (sleeps 10) is an all electric cabin featuring one full bath equipped with one shower, a double sink and toilet, and a 1/2 bath with a toilet and sink. The cabin boasts a large kitchen equipped with basic pots, pans, dishes and silverware, a small living room, and two bedrooms. The first bedroom provides two bunk beds, and the second bedroom offers two bunkbeds and two twin beds. Outside you will find a vault toilet and an outdoor seating area complete with a fire ring and picnic tables. The facility is handicap accessible including a ramp for entrance to the front door. Guests are expected to clean the facility before leaving. No trash service. Please practice pack in and pack out your trash.

Cell phone coverage is fair depending on you carrier. Host is located on site.

Recreation

The Upper Medicine Bow River flows past the back yard and provides fishing and wildlife viewing.

Facilities

The Bow River Ranger Station (sleeps 10) is an all electric cabin featuring one full bath equipped with one shower, a double sink and toilet, and a 1/2 bath with a toilet and sink. The cabin boasts a large kitchen equipped with basic pots, pans, dishes and silverware, a small living room, and two bedrooms. The first bedroom provides two bunk beds, and the second bedroom offers two bunkbeds and two twin beds. Outside you will find a vault toilet and an outdoor seating area complete with a fire ring and picnic tables. The facility is handicap accessible including a ramp for entrance to the front door. Guests are expected to clean the facility before leaving. No trash service. Please pack in and pack out your trash.

Cell phone coverage is fair depending on you carrier. Host is located on site

Natural Features

The house sits on the national forest boundary where sagebrush meets the forest.

Nearby Attractions

Medicine Bow River, Turpin Reservoir, Sand Lake and Bow River Campground are all nearby.

The description, directions and fees are the Forest Service’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.

The land around Bow River Ranger Station

The ringed pin is this cabin or lookout; the others are its nearest neighbours. Switch on forest roads or BLM routes to see the way in.

Map layers

Layers
Base map
Legend

Federal land, by managing agency

  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  • US Forest Service (USFS)
  • National Park Service (NPS)
  • US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
  • Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
  • Department Of Defense (DOD)
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
  • Other Federal
  • State
  • Local
  • Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
  • Alaska Native Allotment

Federal campgrounds, by agency

  • Forest Service
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • National Park Service
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife and others

State and local land (USGS PAD-US)

  • State land
  • County and city land
  • Regional agency or district
  • Land trust or conservancy

Gaps with no tint inside public land are private parcels, often old mining claims and homesteads. They are not open to the public.

Dashed clay lines on the base map are unpaved tracks from OpenStreetMap. They show what exists on the ground, not what is legal to drive.

Select any point to see who manages the land.

Boundaries are approximate and land status changes. This map is a planning aid, not a survey or a statement of access. Confirm routes, closures and camping rules with the managing office.

Nearest campgrounds

Camping near

Source: Recreation Information Database (Recreation.gov), record updated February 25, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.

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