Ames Monument State Historic Site — Attraction in Laramie

A very cool monument to the Ames brothers who were important to the establishment of the first transcontinental railway. The pyramid is much larger than pictures show with the first granite course being over 6 feet tall. You'll take a decomposed granite and dirt road to get to the monument and it tends to be windy there. There are stone faces on both sides of the monument so be sure to walk completely around it. There is plenty of parking near the monument also. The monument itself is not easily accessible for mobility impaired people though you can see the site plaques and information from relatively level ground. The land surrounding the monument site is beautiful high prairie and is worth a visit on its own. You'll spend about 10-20 minutes here and it is an easy stop between Cheyenne and Laramie, WY, just a few miles...

Fully ADA accessible now. Wheelchair users and everyone else can enjoy Ames Monument.

I've been to Ames Monument probably a dozen times over the last 20 years. It has changed a lot in that timeframe. It's way different now than I remember, they added two professional ADA flat concrete parking spots (good quality!), an easy sloped walkway up to the monument, and hand rails all the way up and around.

My pictures didn't really turn out great facing the sun, except for the one highlighting the ADA parking spots and rails.

Road was a little rutted and hard on a small sedan, take it real slow, everyone else in other vehicle types should be good. Take it slow...

My husband and I drove out to the monument on our way from Laramie to Lexington, NE. It's actually not that far from the highway, but when you first get on the dirt road that takes you there, a thought creeps into your mind, "Is this really worth it?!" In my opinion, yes. This is a curious piece of history that seems to be largely forgotten. I had read a bit about the Ames brothers before we went, but after visiting the monument, I am eager to learn more. It is also cool that there is a random pyramid in the middle of a sparsely populated...