Medicine Lodge

Additional Information: Medicine Lodge Wildlife Habitat Management Area is five miles northeast of Hyattville and was established in 1972 to provide crucial winter forage for elk. A cooperative management agreement with the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission, State Land and Farm Loan Office and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management was instituted to maintain the 12,700 acres. Elevations vary from 4,000 feet to almost 9,000 feet with canyons and steep walls along Wet and Dry Medicine Lodge creeks. A wide variety of plant communities exists here. Irrigated meadows surrounding the campgrounds give way to deciduous trees and shrubs in the canyons. As you climb higher, you will find junipers until you reach the large sagebrush grasslands covering the high, rocky benches. Douglas fir and pine trees dominate the highest elevations. More than 1,000 elk and 200 mule deer winter on these lands and provide excellent hunting opportunities in the fall. In April, sage-grouse dance at two small leks; or breeding grounds, before hens and chicks move further up in elevation to take advantage of green grass, forbs, and insects. You will also find blue grouse, chukars, Hungarian partridge, rabbits, and squirrels. The angler in your family can find rainbow, brown, brook and cutthroat trout in wet Medicine Lodge Creek. If you want to watch wildlife, there are more than 40 species of birds, small mammals, lizards and snakes living here. A nature trail and guide will enhance your experience at Medicine Lodge State Park. Look for American Dippers, a songbird that swims in streams and nests behind waterfalls along the Medicine Lodge Creek in the State Park. Learn about ancient cultures and local wildlife at the visitors center.