Area 51 covers the central Laramie Range west of Wheatland, including Laramie Peak country and the surrounding timbered ridges. Elevations run from about 6,000 feet on the foothill benches to 10,272 feet on Laramie Peak itself, the highest point in the range and visible for 100 miles in clear weather. The forest is mixed: ponderosa pine and Douglas fir on the lower and south-facing slopes, lodgepole pine through the mid-elevations, with limber pine and small spruce-fir pockets on the higher north faces and aspen draws in the wetter folds. The country is steep enough to feel real mountain but not Rocky-Mountain dramatic—closer to the Black Hills in feel than the Tetons. Friend Park, the LaBonte Canyon country, and the slopes off Laramie Peak are the productive timbered areas. Medicine Bow National Forest manages the high country with significant private ranch (much of it historic, like the famed Laramie Peak-area outfits) on the lower flanks. Walk-In and HMA programs add access. I-25 frames the east; Bluegrass Road and forest roads climb west from Wheatland into the timber. Wheatland is the supply town with gas, motels, real grocery; Laramie is south but a longer haul. Cell service drops once you climb into the timber. Mule deer, elk, and the Wyoming Black Hills/Laramie elk hunt produces some of the most coveted limited tags in the state. The country is overlooked compared to the Bighorns or Wind Rivers, which keeps pressure manageable.