Unit 38

The Snowy Range dominates the western skyline, with Needle Peak and Bennett Peak serving as prominent navigation markers. Sixmile Gap and Snowy Range Pass provide noted passages through the high country. The Medicine Bow Mountains form the core of the central terrain, offering multiple ridge systems for glassing and travel corridors.

Saratoga Lake and Twin Lakes provide visual anchors in the lower country, while numerous springs—Sixmile, Martinez, Quealy, and Saratoga Hot Springs—mark reliable water sources worth noting. Centennial Valley and Pass Creek Canyon funnel travel routes and concentrate game movement. The Laramie Plains offer open country for spotting from distance.

Terrain ranges from sagebrush and grassland plains near 6,500 feet up through ponderosa pine and aspen slopes to high alpine tundra above 10,000 feet on the peaks. The Snowy Range and Medicine Bows create a true vertical ecosystem—lower basins feature open sagebrush with scattered juniper, middle elevations transition to lodgepole pine and spruce-fir forests, and ridgetops above timberline offer alpine meadows and exposed rock. The median elevation near 7,500 feet places most of the unit in the transition zone where multiple habitat types overlap.

Forests are sparse overall but concentrated on north-facing slopes and in drainages, with many ridges and south-facing areas remaining open.

A network of 1,700+ miles of roads provides fair overall access, with major routes connecting Laramie, Saratoga, and Centennial. Highway 130 and secondary roads reach into several drainages and provide trailhead access. However, the unit's size and complexity mean many hunters concentrate near roads and established camps, leaving substantial backcountry with minimal pressure.

High-elevation terrain above timberline requires foot travel and rewards effort. Complexity score of 8.6 reflects significant navigation challenges—terrain isn't trivial and poor route-finding can add miles. Summer weather can close high passes early; fall conditions demand flexibility.

Unit 38 forms a large rectangle between Laramie on the south and Saratoga on the north, bounded by U.S. Highway 287 on the east and west, with Wyoming Highways 130 and 230 defining northern limits. The unit encompasses the iconic Snowy Range and Medicine Bow Mountains, two major mountain chains running north-south through the center, with the Laramie Plains opening to the east and various basins and valleys filling the transitions. Towns like Centennial, Riverside, and Keystone sit within or near the unit boundaries.

The terrain is substantial and complex, with dramatic elevation changes and significant roadless backcountry.

Water is limited and scattered, making water knowledge essential. Reliable high-country lakes include Saratoga Lake, Twin Lakes, and Stillwater Park, though many are inaccessible outside summer months. Springs are your best bet—Sixmile Spring, Quealy Spring, and Martinez Springs appear throughout the drainages and offer season-dependent reliability.

Major streams like Rattlesnake Creek, Henry Creek, and Sawmill Creek drain the high country but dry up or become intermittent in lower reaches during fall. Reservoirs including Rouse, Finley, and Rob Roy Reservoir provide water in developed areas. Understanding water location by season is critical for planning backcountry camps and daily hunting ranges.

Moose in Unit 38 inhabit the higher drainages and willow-lined creeks between 7,500 and 9,500 feet, with seasonal movement tied to water and thermal cover. Early season hunting focuses on high meadows and creek bottoms where moose feed in open terrain—glass from ridge vantage points overlooking Centennial Valley, Pass Creek Canyon, and upper drainages. As weather turns, animals drop to lower elevations and migrate toward reliable water sources and dense timber.

Late season requires working creek bottoms and willow thickets where moose concentrate. Your success depends on finding water, understanding wind patterns in the complex terrain, and being prepared for a multi-day backcountry effort. The sparse forest and ridges allow good glassing, but actually reaching moose requires steep climbing and solid route-finding.