The Sierra Madre Range is located in south-central Wyoming. Geologically, it may be considered an extension of the Park Range or Front Range of Colorado. Its terrain lies within the US Continental Divide. Its western basins drain into the Colorado River and its eastern into the North Platte River. Bridger Peak, Wyoming (11,007 feet) is its highest elevation.
Copper resources within the range were extracted during the late 19th and early 20th centuries by a Ferris-Haggarty mine. Its operations were centered near Encampment, Wyoming. Gold findings in the range during the 1890s sparked a short-lived gold rush that attracted thousands of prospectors.[1] The possibility of further discoveries renewed interest during the late 20th and early 21st centuries.[2]
Much of the range lies within the Medicine Bow – Routt National Forest. Protected areas include the Encampment River Wilderness and the Huston Park Wilderness.[3] It is traversed by Wyoming Highway 70, which crosses the Continental Divide at Battle Pass.
The range supports a number of popular game species, including elk, mule deer, and grouse, along with other species mentioned in the state's Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy Report.[4] In 2009 the state's Game and Fish Department, describing its wildlife as "world class", issued a report recommending that the area's natural values be analyzed and that energy development leases in the area be withdrawn.[4]