McIntyre Creek Trail

McIntyre Creek is the kind of trail you take when you'd rather hear water and wind than other hikers. It branches off the McIntyre Trail up near Housmer Park and follows its namesake creek south through the Rawah Wilderness, and for most of its length it stays down in established forest where the tread is easy to read. The lower mile meanders through willow-filled meadows — boggy and mosquito-thick well into July in a wet year, so pack a head net and repellent — before the trail settles into a gentle 2.5-mile climb to the McIntyre ponds, a scattered chain of beaver-worked pools strung along nearly a mile of trail. Wildflowers crowd the wet edges, and the ponds are a fine place to sit a while.

Then the trail earns its “difficult” reputation. The final mile pitches up steeply on a rocky but well-worn tread, climbs onto an open alpine hillside, and tops out in a broad meadow where three big rock cairns — the last topped with a wooden signpost — mark the junction with the Medicine Bow Trail. That upper stretch is exposed and dry (the last 1.2 miles hold no reliable water until the headwaters spring by the old cabin remains), so fill up below and turn back if afternoon thunderheads start stacking up — lightning is the real hazard along this top mile. It's a remote, lightly traveled route best suited to backpackers and horse riders looking for solitude and a real climb.

Trail Facts

Getting There

There's no standalone trailhead — McIntyre Creek is reached by way of the McIntyre Trail, which starts at Housmer Park off Laramie River Road. Follow the McIntyre Trail in to the signed junction (about a third of a mile past Housmer Park); McIntyre Creek breaks off there and heads south along the creek. Laramie River Road isn't plowed in winter, so the trailhead is only reachable once the road opens — usually sometime in early June, though the lower trail can stay muddy and the upper stretch snowbound for weeks after that.

Know Before You Go

• Lightning up top. The upper mile crosses an open alpine hillside and meadow with no cover — start early, watch the sky, and be off the high ground before afternoon storms build.
• Wilderness rules. This is the Rawah Wilderness: no bikes or other wheeled conveyances, no motorized use, and group size is capped at 12 people and stock combined.
• Steep, remote final mile. The last mile climbs sharply on rocky tread and the trail sees little traffic — come self-reliant and don't count on meeting anyone.
• Water, then none. Water runs along most of the trail, but the upper 1.2 miles are dry until the headwaters spring opposite the old cabin remains — fill up before the final climb, and treat what you take.
• Wet and buggy early. The lower willow meadows stay wet into mid-July or later in wet years, with heavy mosquitos — head nets and repellent are strongly recommended.
• Dogs on leash. Dogs must be on a hand-held leash with hikers (voice control is only allowed with stock).
• Seasonal access. Laramie River Road isn't plowed, so the trail is only reachable roughly early June through fall.