Snowy Range Scenic Byway

Overview

The land now known as Medicine Bow National Forest has a long history, reaching back as far as 8,000 years when ancestors of the Plains Indians inhabited the area. The Northern Arapaho, Oglala Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, Eastern Shoshone and the White River Utes all frequented the area. They utilized the forest to gather the prime “mountain mahogany” wood they liked to use when making bows. The soothing mineral hot springs along the banks of the North Platte River provided a welcome place to “make medicine” to cure their ills and hold ceremonial powwows. You can still visit at least one of those springs today, in the town Saratoga. Admission to the public hot springs is free, and the town is just a short drive west from the Byway.