Laramie River

The Laramie River

The Laramie River is a tributary of the North Platte River, approximately 216 mi (348 km) long, in the U.S. states 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 Laramie River, as it flows past the site of old Fort Laramie

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The river was named for Jacques La Ramee, a French-Canadian fur trader 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.

Discharge statistics

• Discharge of the Laramie River at different locations

See also

• List of Colorado rivers
• List of Wyoming rivers