Laramie River

Laramie River
300px The Laramie River, as it flows past the site of old Fort Laramie
Name origin: Named for Jacques La Ramie, French fur trapper
Country	United States
States	Colorado, Wyoming
Tributaries
- left	North Laramie River
- right	Chugwater Creek
Cities	Laramie, Wheatland, Fort Laramie
Source	Chambers Lake
- location	Larimer County, Colorado
- elevation	9,192 ft (2,802 m)
- coordinates
Mouth	North Platte River
- location	Goshen County, Wyoming
- elevation	4,213 ft (1,284 m)
- coordinates
Length	280 mi (451 km)
Basin	4,564 sq mi (11,820 km2)
Discharge	for near Fort Laramie, 0.6 miles (1.0 km) from mouth
- average	129 cu ft/s (3.7 m3/s)
- max	6,260 cu ft/s (177.3 m3/s)
- min	0 cu ft/s (0 m3/s)
Map highlighting the Laramie River (in bright blue, below and slightly left of center) Map highlighting the Laramie River (in bright blue, below and slightly left of center)

The Laramie River is a tributary of the North Platte River, approximately 280 miles (450 km) long, in the U.S. states of Colorado and Wyoming. The river was named for Jacques La Ramie, a fur trapper who visited the area in the early 19th century. Laramie County, Wyoming, the city of Laramie, and other geographical entities in the region have "Laramie" in their names.

Course

The river rises in northern Colorado, in the Roosevelt National Forest in the Front Range, in western Larimer County. It flows north-northwest into Wyoming, along the east side of the Medicine Bow Mountains, past Jelm and Woods Landing, then northeast emerging from the mountains 22 miles (35 km) southwest of Laramie. The river then flows north through Laramie. In the Laramie Plains it is joined by the Little Laramie River. The Laramie River then continues north through the Laramie Plains and through Wheatland Reservoir. It flows northeast through the Laramie Mountains. Emerging from the mountains, it receives the North Laramie River 5 miles (8 km) north of Wheatland and Chugwater Creek 7 mi (11 km) northeast 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 miles (3 km) long, was finished in 1911 as part of a larger irrigation project for northern Colorado.

Discharge

Statistic	Location	Time period	Discharge
Yearly mean discharge	Near Woods Landing	year	173 cu ft/s (4.9 m3/s)
	Near Bosler	year	150 cu ft/s (4.2 m3/s)
	Near Fort Laramie	year	129 cu ft/s (3.7 m3/s)
Month with highest mean discharge	Near Woods Landing	June	782 cu ft/s (22.1 m3/s)
	Near Bosler	June	726 cu ft/s (20.6 m3/s)
	Near Fort Laramie	May	363 cu ft/s (10.3 m3/s)
Month with lowest mean discharge	Near Woods Landing	January	38.5 cu ft/s (1.09 m3/s)
	Near Bosler	September	31 cu ft/s (0.88 m3/s)
	Near Fort Laramie	September	59.4 cu ft/s (1.68 m3/s)

Fishing

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 in 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.

See also

• List of rivers of Colorado
• List of rivers of Wyoming

External links

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