Jelm Mountain Road

Jelm Mountain Road is in Southeast Wyoming about 40 minutes from Laramie. This trail lies on the outskirts of the beautiful Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest. This road was originally created to be the home for a USFS fire tower, which was predominantly used to report fires before aircraft became the popular method. The Jelm Mountain fire tower was used in conjunction with the fire tower atop Deadman Hill, just SE of the Jelm Mountain fire tower, and together were used to report fires in and around the surrounding areas, including the Laramie Basin and Laramie River valley. In 1975, the fire tower was decommissioned and replaced with an observatory. After 2 years of construction, the WIRO (Wyoming Infrared Observatory) started making its first observations. Jelm Moutain was chosen as a site for the observatory, due to its proximity to the University of Wyoming, low-light pollution, low atmospheric moisture (which can interfere with observations), and existing power and phone service. This trail is not the most interesting trail to drive on if you are looking for a purely off-roading experience, but it provides stunning views of the area as well as a very interesting piece of equipment located at the top. You can even schedule a tour if astronomy is your passion!