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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Laramie
Give Laramie one full day plus a night: prison museum and downtown on foot, then the Snowy Range by car if the pass is open (Jun–Oct).
Laramie sits at 2,200 m on I-80, an hour west of Cheyenne and about 2.5 h from Denver. It is a university town with a compact downtown, one strong historic site and a mountain byway at its door. Most travellers use it as a night on the I-80 crossing or a base for the Snowy Range; the town itself fills a day, not three.
- Country
- United States
- Best months
- Jun–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Mar (snow, I-80 closures)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $70–110 excl. bed · Mid $120–190 excl. bed · High $200+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Laramie Police non-emergency 307-721-2526 · Wyoming road conditions 511
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee and pastry downtown | $5–9 |
| Brewpub burger or plate | $16–26 |
| Thai or sushi main | $15–28 |
| Draught beer in a downtown bar | $6–9 |
| Wyoming Territorial Prison entry, adult | $5 |
| Petrol, per US gallon | $3.00–3.80 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | $15–30 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- LAR · Laramie Regional Airport
- United Express to Denver; small field 6 km west of downtownUnited Express to Denver; small field 3.7 mi west of downtown
- DEN · Denver International
- About 2.5 h by car via I-25 and I-80; the practical gateway
Typical fares
- Taxi across town
- $10–18 (check)
- Hire car, one day, compact
- $55–120 plus fuel (check)
- I-80 Laramie → Cheyenne
- about 80 km, 1 habout 50 mi, 1 h
- Laramie → Denver by car
- about 210 km, 2.5 habout 130 mi, 2.5 h
Get around
A car is the practical choice: downtown is walkable but the airport, motels and Snowy Range are not. Snowy Range Taxi covers town; rental desks sit at the airport and on East Grand Ave. I-80 is the main corridor and can close in winter.
See and do
Known for
- Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site
- University of Wyoming and Cowboys sport
- Snowy Range Scenic Byway
- High-altitude dry climate
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Snowy Range Scenic Byway and Medicine Bow Peak | WY-130 west from Laramie through Centennial, about 45 min to the pass | 45 min to the pass; a half day with the peak hike |
| Cheyenne | I-80 east, about 1 h | About 1 h |
| Centennial | WY-130 west, about 30 min | About 30 min |
| Medicine Bow | US 30/287 northwest, about 1 h | About 1 h |
| Rawlins | I-80 west, about 1 h 30 min | About 1 h 30 min |
| Buford | I-80 east, about 20 min | About 20 min |
Sleep
- Downtown / Ivinson Ave
- Walk to restaurants, bars and the prison site; few rooms, book early on university weekends.
- Grand Ave east (I-80 exits)
- Chain motels with parking, 5–10 min drive from downtown; best value with a car.
- Near the UW campus
- Quiet, walkable to campus and cafés; fills for football Saturdays and graduation.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Where is the toilet? | Where is the restroom? |
| Can I pay by card? | Do you take card? |
| The check, please | Can we get the check? |
| Is the pass open? | Is the mountain pass open? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Altitude: 2,200 m. Drink water, take the first day easy, and expect headaches or breathlessness if you fly in and hike straight away.
- I-80 closes in winter storms and can strand you for hours: check Wyoming road conditions and webcams before driving.
- Snowy Range Pass (WY-130) is closed in winter; the byway is a summer and early-autumn drive.
- University events — late-August start, early-May commencement, autumn football Saturdays — fill every motel and lift prices. Book weeks ahead.
- Summer afternoons bring fast thunderstorms above treeline; be off exposed ridges by early afternoon.
Laramie is a small, low-crime town; the real risks are altitude, winter road closures on I-80 and fast mountain weather. Lock the car downtown at night and keep water with you.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Laramie yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site
- University of Wyoming and Cowboys sport
- Snowy Range Scenic Byway
- High-altitude dry climate
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- City of Laramie: www.cityoflaramie.org
- Visit Laramie: visitlaramie.org/
- Wikivoyage: Laramie, revision 5241225 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5241225
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Laramie
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- Laramie Police non-emergency307-721-2526
- Wyoming road conditions511
No embassies in Laramie; your country's embassy or consulate is in Denver (check the address).
Tipping is expected: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% taxis.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/laramie). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.