Laramie Mountains

For the 1952 American Western film, see Laramie Mountains (film).
Laramie Mountains
Southern face of Laramie Peak
Highest point
PeakSouth Bald Mountain
Elevation11,007 ft (3,355 m)
ListingMountain ranges of Colorado
Geography
The Laramie Mountains are shown highlighted in pink on a map of the western U.S.
CountryUnited States
States
  • Wyoming
  • Colorado
Parent rangeRocky Mountains

The Laramie Mountains are a range of moderately high peaks on the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains in the U.S states of Wyoming and Colorado. The range is the northernmost extension of the line of the ranges along the eastern side of the Rockies, and in particular of the higher peaks of the Front Range directly to the south. North of the range, the gap between the Laramie range and the Bighorn Mountains provided the route for historical trails, such as the Oregon Trail, the Mormon Trail, and the Pony Express.

The Laramie Mountains begin in northern Colorado and extend discontinuously into southeastern Wyoming between Cheyenne and Laramie and northward to Casper. (By some definitions the Laramies are only in Wyoming.) They are named after the Laramie River, which cuts through the range from southwest to northeast and joins the North Platte River east of the range in eastern Wyoming. The mountains in turn give their name to the Laramide orogeny, the uplift of the North American Plate approximately 70 million years ago that created the present Rocky Mountains.

The highest portions of the Laramie mountains are mostly in public ownership, forming part of the Medicine Bow-Routt and Roosevelt National Forests.