We will be attending a football game in Laramie over Memorial Weekend. We plan to fly into Denver, rent a car and drive up for the game on Saturday. I hope to arrive in Denver -Friday by lunch time.

Is there enough to do to stay in the WY area for the entire long weekend or should we just go for the night/watch game then return to Denver for 2 days?

I have been to neither place. We will have a 15 month old and I may be expecting....so nothing tooo adventurous/strenuous!

How is the drive--scenic? How long from Denver to Laramie? Anything along the way worth checking out?

We love wild animals, great views, maybe an easy hike....laid back no dressing up!

How about going to Vedauwoo or to Saratoga?!


http://www.vedauwoo.org/intro.htm
http://www.wyomingcarboncounty.com/hotsprings.htm

We drove this rouute from Denver to Cheyenne to Laramie last September and to be honest it did not seem like a scenic drive to me. It should take about 3 1/2 hours to drive non-stop to Laramie. You might check the Cheyenne city web sight for things to do on a short rest stop and/or a belated lunch before heading on over to Laramie. I have not seen it but the "Nelson Museum of the West" and the "Cheyenne Botanical Gardens" might be worth a couple of hours.
On the way back from Laramie you might want to consider a couple of scenic drive alternatives on the way back to Denver.
1. Laramie to Cheyenne and then I-25 south to the Loveland exit at Hwy 34.
Take Hwy 34 west to Estes Park. This would be about a 2 hr 40 minute drive non-stop. Have a late breakfast or an early lunch in Estes Park and ask around or go to the Estes Park Visitor's center and check to see if Hwy 34 (Trail Ridge Road) through the Rocky Mountain National Park is open to Grand Lake and on to I-70. (most likley will not be open all the way the way at this time of the year).
a. If open take this route into, up, over and through the Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP)to I-70 and then I-70 east to Denver. Approx., a total of 8 hours with short stops from Laramie to Denver) A fantastic drive if open...
b. if not open, you could see some of the lower elevations of the park including the Bear Lake area and then back track on Hwy 34 back to Loveland and then take I-25 south to Denver (again approx a total of 8 hours)
c. If neither of these options is available or attractive, another option would be to go to Estes Park and instead of entering the RMNP, take the "Peak to Peak Scenic Byway" from Estes Park to Blackhawk to I-70 and then east on I-70 to Denver. The Scenic Byway is Hwy 7, Hwy 72 and Hwy 119 from Estes to I-70. You can enter Peak to Peak Scenic Byway, Co on the web search and you should a site that will provide a short plurp on the drive. (this is approx., an 6 hour non stop drive, from Laramie but allow some time for short stops for photos and lunch.
Since this is still late spring in the Rockies, you might want to keep an eye and an ear out from the weather in these areas before you leave Laramie or after you get to Loveland or Estes Park.
Hope this gives you some options.

Have a great game and a great trip.

I hope that the road isn't closed for weather end of Aug/1st of Sept. I can't remember when the first snowfalls occur?!

I don't think we could handle a 6-8 hr scenic drive with a toddler.

That Vedauwoo looks very interesting! The drive to Carbon County isn't tooo bad.

Will have to tell hubby about these options and see if that sways him from spending time in Denver.

Thanks for the help!

alise,
Depending on your interests, there's plenty to do on the corridor between Denver and Laramie.

Bear in mind that Laramie's elevation is about 8000 ft above sea level--don't know if that will be an issue or not. If so, you may want to stop somewhere between Denver and Laramie overnight to adjust to altitude changes.

The Shambhala Mountain Center is located in between Denver and Laramie.

Oops, not sure what happened there. Anyhow...the center is a Buddhist meditation/retreat. The Great Stupa of Dharmakaya is the largest example of Buddhist sacred architecture in North America and open to the public. I live a couple hours away and know many people who stop here for the day (take a picnic, etc.)--it's on my list of 'places to visit' for 2007.

http://www.shambhalamountain.org/

You mentioned hiking--Medicine Bow National Forest is located near Laramie and is gorgeous. The Snowy Range Scenic Byway (off of Hwy. 130) goes through here.

http://www.byways.org/browse/byways/2054/overview.html

If you want more of a metro feel, a stop in Boulder overnight would be fun. Ft. Collins (home of Colorado State University) is right off of I-25 and a nice medium-size town.

As for dressing up--it's the west. Come casual but bring a sweatshirt and a jacket--it will be cool/cold at night. Never say never, but you shouldn't have to worry about snow on I-25 or I-80 over Labor Day.

Have a great time.

Oops!, I'm sorry, I thought Memorial Day weekend was the last Monday in May, but I now believe you must have meant Labor Day weekend. Silly me!!! there is no football in May....Of course the road will be open in September and I,m sorry you'll miss a drive that's eye opening.

Have a great trip.