Platte River Wilderness is a 23,492-acre protected area in the Medicine Bow–Routt National Forest spanning southern Wyoming and a small part of northern Colorado. Established in 1984 under the Wyoming Wilderness Act, it is centered on the North Platte River corridor, with land in both Medicine Bow and Routt national forests managed together since 1995. The area is known for camping, hiking, hunting, rafting, and fishing, including Northgate Canyon’s white-water route and highly regarded trout waters. In 2020, the Mullen Fire burned through nearly all of its conifer forest, but the resulting mix of burned and unburned ground improved habitat for elk, mule deer, and bighorn sheep.