Muddy Mountain
Mountain in Wyoming, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Muddy Mountain is a peak in the Laramie Mountains approximately 12 miles (19 km) south-south-east of Casper, Wyoming. There is a two-mile (3.2 km) "interpretive nature trail" maintained by the Bureau of Land Management, as well as a series of trails popular with mountain bikers, horseback riders, and ATVs in the summer, and snowmobiles in the winter.[1]
| Muddy Mountain | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 8287 ft (2527 m) |
| Coordinates | 42°40′55″N 106°16′16″W |
| Geography | |
| Location | Natrona County, Wyoming, U.S. |
| Parent range | Laramie Mountains |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | County Road 505 |
In May 2024, the Federal Highway Administration began to improve the access road to the mountain, which was previously a graded dirt road. Natrona County and the Bureau of Land Management assisted with improving the road by paving it and creating more day-use parking.[2] The project included upgrades to Casper Mountain Circle Drive, of which 2.3 miles (4 km) was previously unpaved. On Muddy Mountain itself, 7 miles (11 km) of road was paved. The project is expected to be complete by the fall of 2024.[3]
Climate
The summit of Muddy Mountain has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb). However, it could be classified as a subalpine climate (Köppen Dfc), with September only just averaging over 10 °C, making there four months with an average temperature of 10 °C or more. For a climate to be classified as subarctic/subalpine, it must have an average temperature of at least 10 °C for one month but no more than three months, whereas humid continental climates have four or more months. Muddy Mountain is within the 5a USDA Hardiness Zone (-20 °F to -15 °F).[4]
There is no weather station at the summit, but this climate table contains interpolated data for an area around the summit.
| Climate data for Muddy Mountain 42.6756 N, 106.2576 W, Elevation: 8,199 ft (2,499 m) (1991–2020 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 26.4 (−3.1) |
28.0 (−2.2) |
37.2 (2.9) |
44.2 (6.8) |
53.8 (12.1) |
66.1 (18.9) |
75.5 (24.2) |
73.9 (23.3) |
63.7 (17.6) |
48.8 (9.3) |
35.0 (1.7) |
25.9 (−3.4) |
48.2 (9.0) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 18.9 (−7.3) |
19.7 (−6.8) |
27.6 (−2.4) |
33.7 (0.9) |
43.2 (6.2) |
54.1 (12.3) |
62.9 (17.2) |
61.5 (16.4) |
52.1 (11.2) |
38.9 (3.8) |
27.1 (−2.7) |
18.8 (−7.3) |
38.2 (3.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 11.4 (−11.4) |
11.3 (−11.5) |
17.9 (−7.8) |
23.3 (−4.8) |
32.5 (0.3) |
42.0 (5.6) |
50.4 (10.2) |
49.1 (9.5) |
40.5 (4.7) |
29.0 (−1.7) |
19.2 (−7.1) |
11.6 (−11.3) |
28.2 (−2.1) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.70 (43) |
1.87 (47) |
2.53 (64) |
3.59 (91) |
3.98 (101) |
2.13 (54) |
1.07 (27) |
0.98 (25) |
1.69 (43) |
2.57 (65) |
1.84 (47) |
1.87 (47) |
25.82 (654) |
| Source: PRISM Climate Group[5] | |||||||||||||
Bates Creek #2 is a weather station located on the southwestern flank of Muddy Mountain, at an elevation of 6042 ft (1842 m).[6] Bates Creek #2 has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk), bordering on a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb).
| Climate data for Bates Creek #2, Wyoming, 1991–2020 normals, 1969-2020 records: 6042ft (1842m) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 60 (16) |
62 (17) |
74 (23) |
79 (26) |
88 (31) |
97 (36) |
98 (37) |
98 (37) |
98 (37) |
84 (29) |
71 (22) |
63 (17) |
98 (37) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 48.8 (9.3) |
51.1 (10.6) |
63.5 (17.5) |
72.4 (22.4) |
80.0 (26.7) |
87.8 (31.0) |
92.5 (33.6) |
90.7 (32.6) |
86.7 (30.4) |
75.8 (24.3) |
62.2 (16.8) |
51.2 (10.7) |
93.4 (34.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 34.3 (1.3) |
35.6 (2.0) |
45.9 (7.7) |
53.2 (11.8) |
63.0 (17.2) |
74.8 (23.8) |
83.6 (28.7) |
82.0 (27.8) |
71.8 (22.1) |
57.5 (14.2) |
44.0 (6.7) |
34.4 (1.3) |
56.7 (13.7) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 23.1 (−4.9) |
24.5 (−4.2) |
34.2 (1.2) |
41.1 (5.1) |
50.5 (10.3) |
60.7 (15.9) |
68.6 (20.3) |
67.2 (19.6) |
57.6 (14.2) |
44.7 (7.1) |
32.6 (0.3) |
23.7 (−4.6) |
44.0 (6.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 12.0 (−11.1) |
13.4 (−10.3) |
22.4 (−5.3) |
28.9 (−1.7) |
37.9 (3.3) |
46.6 (8.1) |
53.7 (12.1) |
52.3 (11.3) |
43.4 (6.3) |
31.8 (−0.1) |
21.3 (−5.9) |
13.0 (−10.6) |
31.4 (−0.3) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −7.7 (−22.1) |
−6.8 (−21.6) |
4.9 (−15.1) |
14.8 (−9.6) |
25.0 (−3.9) |
35.2 (1.8) |
44.4 (6.9) |
41.9 (5.5) |
29.9 (−1.2) |
14.0 (−10.0) |
2.0 (−16.7) |
−6.4 (−21.3) |
−14.4 (−25.8) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −26 (−32) |
−29 (−34) |
−11 (−24) |
−3 (−19) |
17 (−8) |
29 (−2) |
32 (0) |
35 (2) |
14 (−10) |
−8 (−22) |
−16 (−27) |
−38 (−39) |
−38 (−39) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.76 (19) |
0.76 (19) |
0.93 (24) |
1.64 (42) |
2.28 (58) |
1.37 (35) |
0.91 (23) |
0.76 (19) |
1.05 (27) |
1.40 (36) |
0.65 (17) |
0.74 (19) |
13.25 (338) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 11.90 (30.2) |
11.10 (28.2) |
10.50 (26.7) |
9.20 (23.4) |
2.30 (5.8) |
0.10 (0.25) |
0.00 (0.00) |
0.00 (0.00) |
0.60 (1.5) |
5.80 (14.7) |
5.60 (14.2) |
11.90 (30.2) |
69 (175.15) |
| Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 9.1 (23) |
10.1 (26) |
7.6 (19) |
5.5 (14) |
2.3 (5.8) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.6 (1.5) |
5.0 (13) |
4.2 (11) |
7.8 (20) |
14.5 (37) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 6.1 | 5.8 | 6.0 | 8.3 | 9.1 | 7.2 | 5.7 | 5.0 | 5.9 | 5.5 | 4.8 | 5.9 | 75.3 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 5.4 | 5.3 | 4.6 | 3.4 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.9 | 3.4 | 5.4 | 30.5 |
| Source 1: NOAA[7] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: XMACIS2 (records, monthly max/mins & snow depth)[8] | |||||||||||||
