Laramie sits at 7,165 feet, which makes it one of the highest cities of its size in the country and explains a lot about the place: thin, clean air, big weather, and granite pushing up out of the grass in every direction. It’s a University of Wyoming town and an Old West town at the same time, and the two sides rarely get in each other’s way. You can walk through the only prison that ever held Butch Cassidy in the morning and stand under a full dinosaur skeleton by lunch.
This guide comes from the team behind Laramie RV Resort, just off Interstate 80 on the west side of town. It rounds up the best things to do in Laramie, WY, for people planning an actual visit: what’s worth your time, what costs nothing, and how to stack it into a day or a long weekend. If Cheyenne is also on your route, our things to do in Cheyenne guide covers the sister city 45 minutes east.
Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site
Start here, because nothing else in town tells the story this directly. The Wyoming Territorial Prison held federal and territorial prisoners from 1872 to 1903, and its one genuinely famous inmate was Butch Cassidy, who served 18 months here in the 1890s. It’s the only time he was ever locked up.
The site runs across 197 acres along the Big Laramie River. You get the restored cell house with a self-paced walk through prison history, a Butch Cassidy exhibit, the old broom factory where inmates worked, and a nature trail down by the water. Plan on an hour or two.
One planning note: the historic site is seasonal, generally open late spring through early fall with shorter shoulder-season hours, and it closes for the winter. Check the current schedule before you build a day around it, especially in May or September.
Vedauwoo: A Granite Playground 20 Minutes East
Vedauwoo (say it “vee-da-voo”) is the reason a lot of people remember Laramie. It’s a cluster of wind-sculpted granite formations off I-80 at exit 329, about 20 minutes east of town toward Happy Jack Road, sitting around 8,200 feet in the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest.
Rock climbers know it worldwide for its crack climbing, some of the most punishing and beloved in the country. You don’t need a rope to enjoy it though. The short trails wind between the boulders, the picnic areas are shaded, and kids spend hours scrambling and watching for chipmunks and marmots. There’s a $5 per vehicle day-use fee for the paved lots and picnic areas.
Bring water and a hat. At that elevation the sun does more than it feels like it’s doing, and shade is where the rock puts it, not where you want it.
University of Wyoming: Three Free Museums on One Campus
The University of Wyoming anchors the east side of Laramie, and 3 of its best attractions cost nothing.
The University of Wyoming Geological Museum is the crowd favorite, especially with kids. A full Apatosaurus skeleton stretches across the main hall, the copper Tyrannosaurus rex statue out front has been a campus landmark for decades, and the fossil collection leans hard on Wyoming’s own dinosaur country. Admission is free.
The UW Art Museum shares the Centennial Complex, the striking ziggurat-shaped building on the north end of campus. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., free to everyone, with a rotating slate of exhibitions and a permanent collection that punches well above what you’d expect from a town this size.
The American Heritage Center sits in the same complex and holds one of the largest university archives in the country, everything from Western history to Hollywood collections. General galleries are free; if you want to dig into the archives themselves, call ahead about access.
Park once, see all 3. It’s an easy rainy-day or high-heat plan.
The Snowy Range Scenic Byway
When the weather’s good and the season’s right, point your tow vehicle west on Wyoming Highway 130. The Snowy Range Scenic Byway climbs into the Medicine Bow Mountains toward Medicine Bow Peak, which tops out at 12,013 feet, making this the second-highest paved scenic byway in the country.
You get alpine lakes, snowfields that linger into July, trailheads at Sugarloaf and Lake Marie, and overlooks where the whole range opens up in front of you. It’s a spectacular half-day drive.
The catch is snow. The high section of the byway is closed most of the year and typically opens around Memorial Day and closes by late October, sometimes with snow blocking the peak trailheads well into summer. Leave the big rig at the resort and take the tow vehicle; the grades and switchbacks past Centennial are no place for a 40-footer.
Curt Gowdy State Park
Halfway between Laramie and Cheyenne on Happy Jack Road (Highway 210), Curt Gowdy State Park is the region’s outdoor multi-tool. Named for the Cheyenne-born sportscaster, it wraps around 3 reservoirs (Granite, Crystal, and North Crow) and has built a national reputation for mountain biking. The trail system earned an IMBA Epic designation, which mountain bikers travel a long way to ride.
If two wheels aren’t your thing, there’s shoreline fishing, paddling, an archery range, and hiking trails through the granite and ponderosa. It makes an easy day trip from either city and a natural stop if you’re bridging a Laramie stay with our Cheyenne parks.
Historic Downtown Laramie
Downtown Laramie grew up alongside the Union Pacific in 1868, and the historic district still shows it. Brick storefronts along Grand Avenue and 2nd Street now hold local coffee roasters, bookshops, a couple of breweries, and enough good lunch spots to reward a wander.
Two stops worth planning around: the Laramie Plains Museum in the Ivinson Mansion, an 1892 Victorian home restored and open for guided tours, and the railroad depot area that explains why the town exists at all. Time it for a summer Saturday and you’ll usually catch a farmers market or live music somewhere close by.
Where to Stay: Laramie RV Resort
Laramie RV Resort sits right off I-80 on the west edge of town, which puts you 10 minutes from downtown, 20 from Vedauwoo, and pointed straight at the Snowy Range for a morning start.
Sites are concrete-pad pull-throughs with full hookups and 20/30/50-amp service, so leveling and setup are quick after a long interstate day. There’s a dog park for travel-weary pets, a fitness room, and a laundry. The vibe is what the high plains do best: open, quiet, and settled, with the Old West and the granite both close at hand.
It’s a practical basecamp more than a destination resort, and that’s the point. You’re here to spend your days at the prison, on the rocks, and up the byway, not parked at the pool.
Check availability at Laramie RV Resort, or browse the full RJourney network if Wyoming is one stop on a longer loop. For more of the state, our Wyoming parks and forests guide maps out where to point next.
How to Stack a Laramie Visit
One day: Territorial Prison in the morning, lunch downtown, UW Geological Museum and Art Museum in the afternoon, sunset at Vedauwoo.
A weekend: Add the Snowy Range Scenic Byway as a full half-day drive (weather permitting), a Curt Gowdy day trip on the bikes, and a slow morning working through downtown’s coffee and bookshops. Two nights is the sweet spot for hitting the byway and the granite without rushing either.
Laramie rewards the traveler who slows down for it. Set up, catch your breath at 7,165 feet, and let the high plains do the rest.
