Miller Lake Campground ~ Medicine Bow National Forest

The Medicine Bow National Forest Miller Lake Campground is located off of Highway 127 in Wyoming just a few miles north of the ​Colorado Border and this unique spot is fairly easy to find. Upon first glance, the campground setting appears to be a disaster area of sorts, because of previous forest fires and beetle blight. The pines and conifers in this area were devastated and nearly all of the deadwood was cut down. What remains is a vast field of tree stumps and a neglected campground that is in a state of total disrepair, which has a way of causing visitors to head for greener pastures. On the plus side, there are currently no campsite fees at Miller Lake because this facility is half of what it used to be, which makes it easier to overlook the conditions.

Miller Lake is a small body of water next to the campground that is a family friendly fishing spot. This picturesque lake is a cozy place for children to watch the bobber in the water in anticipation of filling the creel with panfish, especially around sunset. In fact, the local families and campers with kids show up to this pond all day long with fishing poles in hand, so it is still a popular day trip destination. Relatively few stick around to camp overnight, simply because the primitive campground looks so uninviting and there are far better campsite options nearby.  

Free camping always gets the nod of approval, especially when the location is a good choice for a basecamp for exploring the surroundings. The Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge and a few Colorado State Wildlife Areas can be found a few miles south on Highway 125. Lake John, Colorado State Forest State Park and the North Sand Hills OHV Recreation Area are all in this neighborhood too, while there is plenty more to discover in the BLM Public Lands and the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest. Walden, Colorado is the closest town for stocking up, which is also known as the moose capitol of the world. There actually are more wild moose in Jackson County, Colorado than anywhere else on earth and they do have a habit of walking down main street in this town.

Moose can be encountered just about anywhere in this region, especially in the deep woods where plenty of food is available. In fact, when camping at Miller Lake a visitor does not have to search too far, because this is a favorite spot for moose to hang out in the late afternoon hours. I camped at Miller Lake for several days while exploring this region and each evening a pair of bull moose were feeding along the edge of the woods. Wild moose are far from docile and they actually are the most dangerous animals in the west, but this pair actually enjoyed observing the human families going fishing at the pond. As can be seen in the photos, the bull moose were not shy around my campsite, which created an opportunity to capture some epic images. For this reason, be sure to pack a camera for a Miller Lake venture, so the once in a lifetime moose photos can be shared back home!