Unit 10 Rock Creek (Area 10)
From the Laramie plains up the east face of the Snowy Range — big-country mule deer over a checkerboard base.
Snowy Range / Medicine Bow · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
663
sq mi
Public land
45%
approx.
Elevation
7,000–12,013
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
Hunt Area 10, Rock Creek, runs from Laramie and the sage flats of the Laramie plains northwest up the Rock Creek drainage to Arlington and I-80, then climbs the east face of the Medicine Bow Mountains to the Snowy Range crest at Medicine Bow Peak. It is a classic Wyoming elevation gradient — cottonwood-and-sage bottoms and hay meadows down low, foothill sage and aspen in the middle, and lodgepole, spruce-fir and alpine tundra of the Medicine Bow National Forest up top. Mule deer are the headline species. The lower third is stitched with the Union Pacific land-grant checkerboard along the I-80/railroad corridor, making access planning essential.
Terrain
A steep west-to-east gradient from the ~7,200 ft Laramie plains up Rock Creek to the 12,013 ft granite crest of Medicine Bow Peak in the Snowy Range. Foothill benches and creek canyons transition into high timber and alpine basins.
Cover: Sagebrush-grassland and irrigated meadows on the plains, mountain shrub and aspen on the foothills, lodgepole pine and Engelmann spruce-fir on the slopes, and krummholz and tundra above timberline.
Landmarks: Medicine Bow Peak · Snowy Range · Rock Creek · Arlington · Sheep Lake Trail · Laramie plains · Elk Mountain (west edge)
Access
The Union Pacific land-grant checkerboard — alternating public/private square-mile sections — laces the lower Rock Creek and I-80 corridor around Arlington; corner-crossing and locked private sections are a real issue there. The high country in the Medicine Bow NF is contiguous public and easy to reach. Some deeded ranch bottoms are opened through WGFD Walk-In/HMA programs.
Managers: USFS Medicine Bow NF, private ranch, WY state trust, BLM
Access points: WY 130 (Snowy Range Road) from Centennial · Medicine Bow NF trailheads on the east slope · Rock Creek / Arlington I-80 exit · US 30-287 corridor · Forest roads above Centennial
Species notes
Mule Deer
common qualityMule deer summer in the Snowy Range high country and foothill aspen, then migrate down the Rock Creek gradient toward the plains as snow builds. The elevation band gives hunters options through the season.
- →Early season, hunt high — glass alpine basins and aspen pockets near timberline
- →Follow the migration downhill as storms push deer off the peaks
- →Watch foothill sage-and-aspen transition zones for staging bucks
- →Map the checkerboard before hunting the lower Rock Creek benches
Rocky Mountain Elk
common opportunityElk use the Medicine Bow NF timber and high parks of the Snowy Range, shifting to private foothill ranches under pressure and snow.
- →Work forest meadow edges and dark timber at dawn during the rut
- →Glass high parks and burn edges
- →Expect elk to slip onto private bottoms once shooting starts
Pronghorn
common opportunityPronghorn range the open Laramie plains and sage flats on the lower, eastern end of the area, much of it a public/private checkerboard.
- →Glass the open sage flats east toward Laramie
- →Use onX-style boundary mapping to stay legal on the checkerboard
- →Secure Walk-In or ranch permission for the best deeded flats
Whitetail Deer
limited opportunityA scattering of whitetails uses the cottonwood river bottoms and irrigated valleys on the plains portion.
- →Hunt cottonwood galleries and irrigated-field edges at dawn and dusk
- →Confirm species where mule deer overlap
Pro tips
- →Hunt high early, then chase the mule deer migration down the Rock Creek gradient as snow arrives
- →Map the Union Pacific checkerboard on the lower/eastern end before you hunt it — corner-crossing law is unsettled and enforcement happens
- →The Medicine Bow NF high country is clean, contiguous public — start there if access is a worry
- →Watch WY 130 and forest-road closures with early storms; carry chains
- →Line up Walk-In/HMA permission for the private foothill and plains bottoms
Watch out for
- !Union Pacific land-grant checkerboard along Rock Creek and I-80 — trespass and corner-crossing exposure
- !Early alpine snowstorms can close the Snowy Range high country and roads
- !Locked private sections interrupt otherwise-public country on the lower end
- !Verify mule deer vs. whitetail in the valley bottoms
- !Steep, avalanche-prone terrain near Medicine Bow Peak late in the year
Logistics
Laramie (I-80, university town) is the full-service base with fuel, groceries, lodging and a hospital, minutes from the east end. Centennial at the foot of the Snowy Range Road is the jumping-off point for the high country. High passes and the Snowy Range Road (WY 130) can close with early snow.
Nearest towns: Laramie, Centennial, Arlington, Medicine Bow, Elk Mountain
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Wyoming sources:
Research sources: WGFD 2024 Deer Hunt Area descriptions (Area 10 boundary) · WGFD Hunt Planner · Wyoming Carbon County — Hunting
FAQ
- How big is Unit 10 in Wyoming?
- Unit 10 (Rock Creek (Area 10)) covers about 663 square miles, ranging from roughly 7,000 to 12,013 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 10?
- Approximately 45% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: USFS Medicine Bow NF, private ranch, WY state trust, BLM. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 10?
- Mule Deer, Rocky Mountain Elk, Pronghorn, Whitetail Deer. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Wyoming agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Unit 10 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.