| Laramie River | |
| Name Etymology: | Named for Jacques La Ramie, French Canadian fur trapper[1] |
| Map: | Wpdms_nasa_topo_laramie_river.jpg |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | United States |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | Colorado, Wyoming |
| Subdivision Type5: | Cities |
| Subdivision Name5: | Laramie, Wheatland, Fort Laramie |
| Length: | 280miles |
| Discharge1 Location: | near Fort Laramie, 0.6miles from mouth |
| Discharge1 Min: | 0cuft/s |
| Discharge1 Avg: | 129cuft/s |
| Discharge1 Max: | 6260cuft/s |
| Source1: | Chambers Lake (Colorado) |
| Source1 Location: | Larimer County, Colorado |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 40.6156°N -105.8581°W |
| Source1 Elevation: | 9192feet[2] |
| Mouth: | North Platte River |
| Mouth Location: | Goshen County, Wyoming |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 42.1997°N -104.5297°W[3] |
| Mouth Elevation: | 4213feet |
| Basin Size: | 4564sqmi[4] |
| Tributaries Left: | North Laramie River |
| Tributaries Right: | Chugwater Creek |
The Laramie River is a tributary of the North Platte River, approximately long,[5] in the U.S. states of Colorado and Wyoming. The river was named for Jacques La Ramie, a fur trapper who visited the area in the early 19th century. Laramie County, Wyoming, the city of Laramie, and other geographical entities in the region have "Laramie" in their names.[1]
The river rises in northern Colorado, in the Roosevelt National Forest in the Front Range, in western Larimer County. It flows north-northwest into Wyoming, along the east side of the Medicine Bow Mountains, past Jelm and Woods Landing, then northeast emerging from the mountains 22miles southwest of Laramie. The river then flows north through Laramie. In the Laramie Plains it is joined by the Little Laramie River. The Laramie River then continues north through the Laramie Plains and through Wheatland Reservoir. It flows northeast through the Laramie Mountains. Emerging from the mountains, it receives the North Laramie River 5miles north of Wheatland and Chugwater Creek 7 mi (11 km) northeast of Wheatland. It joins the North Platte opposite the town Fort Laramie.[6]
In its upper reaches in Colorado, the river supplies water to the Cache La Poudre River via the Laramie - Poudre Tunnel. The tunnel, which is approximately 2miles long, was finished in 1911 as part of a larger irrigation project for northern Colorado.[7]
| Statistic | Location | Time period | Discharge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly mean discharge | Near Woods Landing | year | 173ft3/s |
| Near Bosler | year | 150ft3/s | |
| Near Fort Laramie | year | 129ft3/s | |
| Month with highest mean discharge | Near Woods Landing | June | 782ft3/s |
| Near Bosler | June | 726ft3/s[8] | |
| Near Fort Laramie | May | 363ft3/s | |
| Month with lowest mean discharge | Near Woods Landing | January | 38.5ft3/s |
| Near Bosler | September | 31ft3/s | |
| Near Fort Laramie | September | 59.4ft3/s | |