Medicine Bow–Routt National Forest is a U.S. Forest Service administrative unit formed in 1995 by combining Medicine Bow National Forest in southeastern Wyoming, Routt National Forest in northwestern Colorado, and Thunder Basin National Grassland in northeastern Wyoming. Spanning more than 2.2 million acres, it brings together strikingly different landscapes, from alpine terrain and river headwaters to open grazing plains. Medicine Bow began as a forest reserve in 1902 and takes its name from Native American bow-making and healing traditions; Routt was established in 1905 and named for Colorado’s first governor. Together they include wilderness areas, climbing country, ski terrain, and working rangeland.