SOUTHERN WYOMING - Montana and Wyoming - page 703

CAMPING
There are plenty of fantastic opportunities for camping or renting a cabin in the Medicine
Bow-Routt National Forest, which surrounds Laramie to the east (Pole Mountain) and
west (Snowy Range). The closest public campgrounds to town are the nicely forested Yel-
low Pine Campground (Forest Rd. 719, 13.2 miles west of Laramie, $10) and the other-
worldly Vedauwoo Campground (Vedauwoo Rd., 17.3 miles east of Laramie, $10). Both
campgrounds have potable water. For information on sites in the Laramie Ranger District
or other nearby areas, contact the U.S. Forest Service (2468 W. Jackson St., 307/745-2300,
8am-5pm Mon.-Fri.).
Just north of I-80, the Laramie KOA (1271 W. Baker St., 307/742-6553,
www.koa.com ) has tent sites ($16-22), RV sites ($24-35), and cabins ($29-56) in addition
to free Wi-Fi, various organized activities, and a playground.
FOOD
Like all college towns worth their salt, Laramie has an abundance of good, relatively cheap
places to enjoy a meal. For breakfast or lunch, a local favorite is J's Prairie Rose Café (410
S. 2nd St., 307/745-8140, 7am-3pm Mon.-Thurs., 7am-8pm Fri., 7am-3pm Sat., 7am-noon
Sun., $6-12). The Prairie Rose, as it is known, has the best green chili in town, plus phe-
nomenal breakfast burritos, Philly cheesesteaks, and, like all good diners, homemade pie.
Their off-menu specials include everything from Italian dishes to eggs Benedict, and their
Friday night dinners are most often delicious twists on juicy Wyoming steak.
For a smattering of reasonably priced global cuisine, try M Jeffrey's Bistro (123 E.
Ivinson Ave., 307/742-7046, www.jeffreysbistro.com , 11am-8pm Mon.-Wed., 11am-9pm
Thurs.-Sat., $10-17), which offers hearty salads, creative daily specials like ancho-cherry
barbecue chicken or hot-and-spicy Thai shrimp, and delicious entrées such as pot pie, en-
chiladas, Thai burritos, and Indian dopiaza, many of which can be made vegetarian. For
serious vegetarians, Sweet Melissa Vegetarian Café (213 S. 1st St., 307/742-9607, 11am-
close Mon.-Sat., $7-11) is like green heaven in the middle of cow country. There are tons of
salads, pastas, and sandwiches, as is expected, but there is also plenty of gluten-free options
as well as good old-fashioned comfort food like smothered sweet potato and black bean
burritos, country-fried seitan, mushroom stroganoff and specials like spinach and artichoke
manicotti with lemon cream and blueberry sauce. The fact that Sweet Melissa's adjoins a
popular watering hole, Front Street Tavern (11am-close Mon.-Sat.) is just icing on the
cake.