Unit 12 Kennaday Peak (Area 12)
High desert plains climbing into the timbered Medicine Bow Range — scattered elk and mule deer with a good spread of public forest.
Snowy Range / Medicine Bow · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
446
sq mi
Public land
55%
approx.
Elevation
6,500–10,800
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
Hunt Area 12 (Kennaday Peak) runs from the North Platte River east across high-desert plains and ranchlands into the Medicine Bow Mountains of the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest in south-central Wyoming. Elevations climb from roughly 6,500 feet on the sage-and-grass basin floor to about 10,800 feet at Kennaday Peak in the Snowy Range. The southeast corner is heavily timbered and mountainous while the rest is open and broken. Elk concentrate on the national-forest timber to the southwest but scatter throughout, and mule deer share the mountain and foothill country. A good distribution of public land makes this an accessible do-it-yourself hunt.
Terrain
A dramatic gradient from open high-desert sage plains and broken ranchland along the North Platte up into steep, heavily timbered peaks of the Medicine Bow Range topping out at Kennaday Peak (~10,800 ft).
Cover: Sagebrush-grassland and greasewood on the plains; aspen, lodgepole pine, spruce-fir forest and subalpine parks/meadows in the mountains, with willow-lined drainages.
Landmarks: Kennaday Peak · Medicine Bow Mountains (Snowy Range) · North Platte River · Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest · Brush Creek / Bow River drainages · Silver Lake
Access
The national-forest high country to the southwest/southeast is solid public access via forest roads and campgrounds; the lower desert plains are a mix of BLM, state and private ranch and include some southern-Wyoming checkerboard sections where public and private alternate — verify boundaries before crossing. Dispersed camping is allowed on public ground (16-day limit per site); Bow River and Silver Lake are developed campgrounds.
Managers: USFS Medicine Bow-Routt NF, BLM, private ranch, WY state trust
Access points: WY-130 (Snowy Range Scenic Byway) from Saratoga · Brush Creek Road / forest roads off the North Platte · Medicine Bow-Routt NF trailheads and campground roads · BLM two-tracks across the desert plains
Species notes
Rocky Mountain Elk
common qualityThe headline species. Elk populations are stable and concentrate on the timbered national-forest lands in the southwest, but animals scatter throughout the unit including onto the broken plains. It's big, moderate-to-rugged country that rewards glassing and physical preparation.
- →Locate bugling bulls at dawn in September along forest timber-meadow edges
- →Hunt the transition between aspen/dark timber bedding and subalpine parks
- →Push into steep, roadless forest pockets that hold pressured bulls
- →Glass sage-plains fringes at first and last light where elk feed off the forest
Mule Deer
common qualityMule deer occupy both the mountain forest and the broken foothill/plains country. Bucks use aspen pockets, willow drainages and sage draws; the mix of high-country and desert terrain gives options for both early alpine and later foothill hunts.
- →Glass timberline parks and aspen edges in the mountains at dawn/dusk
- →Work sage draws and rough breaks on the plains portion
- →Hunt the aspen-conifer transition mid-elevation as fall progresses
Pronghorn
common opportunityThe open high-desert plains along the North Platte and eastern portion of the unit hold pronghorn, adding a plains-species option to this otherwise mountain-focused area.
- →Glass the sage flats and low rises from elevated points
- →Spot-and-stalk using drainages and terrain folds
- →Focus on the open BLM/plains ground rather than the timbered south
Pro tips
- →Elk stack on the national-forest timber to the southwest — that's where to concentrate early effort.
- →This is big country with real vertical relief; glass hard and be in shape to reach roadless pockets.
- →Use snow timing to your advantage — a storm bumps elk out of the high peaks toward accessible lower ground.
- →Verify ownership on the desert-plains sections; parts of southern Wyoming are checkerboarded public/private.
- →Base out of Saratoga and hunt the WY-130 corridor and Brush Creek drainages for forest access.
Watch out for
- !Some southern-Wyoming checkerboard (alternating public/private sections) on the desert-plains portion — verify boundaries and avoid contested corner-crossing
- !Private ranch inholdings along the North Platte and forest fringe
- !High mountain weather: early snow can close upper forest roads and strand vehicles
- !Rugged, high-elevation terrain demands fitness and self-rescue capability
- !Late-summer fire restrictions/closures on national-forest land
Logistics
Saratoga is the closest town, with lodging, groceries, fuel and amenities; Rawlins (I-80) and Laramie are the larger hubs. Fly into Laramie, Rawlins or Casper. Developed camping at Bow River and Silver Lake, plus dispersed forest camping. Mountain weather changes fast and high forest roads can close early with snow.
Nearest towns: Saratoga, Encampment, Riverside, Rawlins, Laramie
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Wyoming sources:
Research sources: WGFD Hunt Planner · GOHUNT — WY Area 12 Kennaday Peak Elk Unit Profile · WGFD 2023 Elk Hunt Area Maps · HuntScore — WY Hunt Area 12 Kennaday Peak
FAQ
- How big is Unit 12 in Wyoming?
- Unit 12 (Kennaday Peak (Area 12)) covers about 446 square miles, ranging from roughly 6,500 to 10,800 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 12?
- Approximately 55% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: USFS Medicine Bow-Routt NF, BLM, private ranch, WY state trust. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 12?
- Rocky Mountain Elk, Mule Deer, Pronghorn. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Wyoming agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Unit 12 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.