I really enjoyed this route. The first miles until reaching Medicine Bow Peak were very serene on mostly runnable single-track. Once I got near the peak, I saw quite a few backpackers and day hikers, and I was shocked to see how close the parking lot is to such beautiful mountains. It felt a little like being in a national park. Of course, I was also one of those tourists coming from CO so not complaining but simply observing high foot traffic. Once past Gap Lakes, the crowds thinned quite a bit. I only saw one person total on the out and back “stick” of the lollipop. Overall it was a very nice and beautiful route. I would certainly do it again but would try to avoid a holiday weekend the next go round.
Side note: I feel any attempts should accept a start point of the north fork trailhead on the road just above the campground. The campground was completely full and I didn’t want to park in/near someone’s campsite, so I parked at the trailhead, jogged a half mile down to the official start point which is where I started my watch, and then repeated that on the way back.