Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area

Late spring through early fall (May through September) is the primary season. Summer (June through August) is the finest time for boating and lake recreation — the canyon walls glow in the summer light, the water is warm enough for swimming in the reservoir coves, and the canyon lake is accessible to all boat types from the Wyoming launches. Wildlife viewing is excellent throughout the season: the wild mustangs of the Pryor Mountains are visible year-round but summer and early fall (when they move lower on the mountain slopes) provide the best observation opportunities. Bighorn sheep are most visible on the canyon walls in fall and winter. The Bighorn River tailwater trout fishery below Yellowtail Dam (Montana side) is excellent year-round but is at its finest in spring (March through May) when the trout are most active and the hatches most prolific. Summer heat (90-100°F in July and August) can be significant in the canyon; early morning boating and wildlife viewing avoid the midday heat.

Bighorn Canyon has been a culturally significant landscape for the Crow Nation (Apsaalooke) for centuries — the Bighorn River and its canyon were central to the Crow people’s territory and cultural geography; Medicine Wheel, an ancient ceremonial site high on the Bighorn Mountains to the west, is sacred to many Plains tribes including the Crow. The canyon was also significant to the Shoshone people to the south. Euro-American exploration of the canyon began with the Lewis and Clark expedition-era fur traders; Jim Bridger traveled the canyon in the 1820s. Cattle ranching on the Mason-Lovell Ranch (established 1880; preserved within the recreation area) and other Big Horn Basin operations defined the canyon’s economic history in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Yellowtail Dam (named for Crow Tribal leader Robert Yellowtail, who initially opposed then supported the dam) was completed by the Bureau of Reclamation in 1966, creating Bighorn Lake and establishing the recreation area.

Bighorn Canyon exposes one of the most spectacular Paleozoic rock sequences in Wyoming — the Bighorn River has cut through approximately 3,500 feet of sedimentary rock, exposing rocks from the Cambrian through the Permian (approximately 500 to 250 million years old) in the canyon walls. The dominant geological formation — and the one for which the canyon is named — is the Bighorn Dolomite (Ordovician, approximately 450 million years old), a massive gray dolomite sequence that forms the sheer upper canyon walls. Below the Bighorn are the Cambrian Gallatin Limestone and the Precambrian basement; above are the Mississippian Madison Limestone (a vast reef limestone also forming spectacular canyon walls), the Pennsylvanian Amsden Formation (colorful red shales), and the Permian Phosphoria Formation. The canyon’s sheer walls reflect the massive, joint-controlled nature of the Bighorn Dolomite — the dolomite is essentially insoluble in surface weathering and breaks along vertical joints to create the near-vertical walls. The Bighorn Mountains anticline’s uplift and the river’s incision carved the canyon.

Bighorn Canyon’s wildlife is exceptional in variety and the probability of dramatic encounters. Desert bighorn sheep are the canyon’s iconic resident — the limestone walls support a healthy reintroduced population; sheep are commonly visible from the Canyon Rim overlooks and from boats on the lake (the sheep descend to drink from the lake coves). The Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range adjacent to the recreation area hosts one of North America’s oldest and most distinct wild-horse populations — the Pryor herd (estimated at 100-200 animals) has Iberian horse ancestry dating to the Spanish colonial era and exhibits coat colors and conformation rarely seen in other wild herds; observation of the herd from the Pryor Mountain lookout roads is one of the most powerful wildlife encounters in Wyoming. Bald and golden eagles are year-round residents along the canyon. Pronghorn antelope inhabit the sage flats above the canyon rim. Coyotes, mule deer, and wild turkey are common.

Bighorn Canyon’s ecological character is defined by the extreme contrast between the arid canyon walls (dominated by big sagebrush, shadscale, greasewood, and prickly pear cactus — a classic Wyoming cold-desert shrubland) and the aquatic ecosystem of Bighorn Lake and the Bighorn River tailwater. The Bighorn River tailwater below Yellowtail Dam is maintained at a cold, constant temperature (the reservoir releases deep, cold water through the dam’s penstocks regardless of season) that supports exceptional rainbow and brown trout populations in the 13 miles of tailwater between the dam and the Afterbay. The tailwater fishery is one of the most intensively managed and most productive trophy-trout ecosystems in Montana. The Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range represents an interesting ecological question: the horses, though feral descendants of Spanish colonial horses, have occupied the range for 400+ years and have become integrated into the Pryor Mountain ecosystem.

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area holds a unique cultural significance at the intersection of Native American history (the canyon is within the Crow Nation’s traditional territory), the ranching heritage of the northern Big Horn Basin (the Mason-Lovell Ranch preservation tells the story of Wyoming cattle ranching at the canyon scale), the Bureau of Reclamation dam-building era (Yellowtail Dam and its complex relationship with the Crow Tribe), and one of the most distinctive wildlife encounters in Wyoming (the Pryor Mountain wild mustangs). The recreation area’s split jurisdiction between Wyoming and Montana, and the impossibility of road travel through the canyon itself, give Bighorn Canyon a remoteness and character unlike any other NPS unit in the northern Rockies.

Bighorn Canyon NRA has two separate units accessible by road. Southern unit (Wyoming): accessed from Lovell, Wyoming, via US-14A east for 3 miles then north on WY-37 to the Horseshoe Bend area and Barry’s Landing boat launch (approximately 20 miles from Lovell; paved road to the lake). Lovell has full services. Northern unit (Montana): accessed from the Yellowtail Dam Visitor Center at Fort Smith, Montana, via US-313 from Hardin, Montana (approximately 43 miles southeast of Hardin). The two units are not connected by road through the canyon; traveling between units requires driving around through Lovell and Hardin (approximately 100 miles). Cody, Wyoming is approximately 60 miles west of Lovell via US-14A. Check NPS for current road conditions, marina operations, and visitor center hours for both units.

The National Park Service manages Bighorn Canyon NRA. The Bureau of Reclamation operates Yellowtail Dam and controls water levels on Bighorn Lake (water level fluctuations can significantly affect the canyon-lake experience and the boat launches; check current lake levels before launching). The Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (not NPS) — the wild horse population requires careful management to balance herd size with the carrying capacity of the range; support the BLM’s science-based herd management program. Desert bighorn sheep conservation: maintain distance from sheep (minimum 75 yards) and report any sheep showing signs of illness to park staff. No motorized watercraft in the designated quiet coves of Bighorn Lake.

Bighorn Lake’s 71-mile canyon reservoir can develop significant afternoon wave action (afternoon winds funnel through the canyon and create standing waves that can swamp small watercraft); check weather forecasts and have a plan for emergency pull-outs if weather deteriorates on the water. All boaters must wear life jackets; drownings in Bighorn Lake occur when boaters are not wearing PFDs. The canyon walls offer no shade on the canyon-rim trails in midsummer; carry 3+ liters of water per person and start all hikes before 8 AM. The wild mustangs of the Pryor Mountains are wild animals — do not approach on foot; observe from your vehicle at a safe distance (the stallions can be aggressive). Rattlesnakes are present in the canyon and on the rim; watch where you step. Respect the boating weather, the midday heat, and the wild-horse viewing distance.

NPS entrance fee applies (America the Beautiful Pass accepted; check NPS for current fee schedule). Wyoming and Montana fishing licenses required depending on which waters you fish (check current license requirements at the Wyoming Game & Fish and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks websites). All boaters must wear Coast Guard-approved life jackets. No wake zones in designated areas of the lake. No motorized watercraft in the quiet coves. Pets on leash. Pack out all trash. Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range is managed by BLM; no NPS fee required to view the horses from BLM roads. Check NPS for current campground availability and reservation requirements at the Horseshoe Bend Campground (Wyoming unit).

Lovell, Wyoming (the southern gateway — full services; the Bighorn Canyon Visitor Center is in Lovell), Cody, Wyoming (60 miles west of Lovell via US-14A — the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, the finest single Western-history museum complex in the American West, and the east entrance to Yellowstone National Park), the Bighorn Mountains (west of the canyon — the Cloud Peak Wilderness in the Bighorn NF offers excellent wilderness hiking and fishing; the Medicine Wheel National Historic Landmark on the Bighorn Mountains’ crest is sacred to many Plains tribes and worth a respectful visit), and the Crow Nation (Apsaalooke) reservation communities (Hardin, Montana, near the northern unit — the Little Bighorn Battlefield NM is 15 miles northeast of Hardin — where Custer made his last stand in 1876) define the region. Bighorn Canyon is the essential southern anchor of the northern Big Horn Basin outdoor experience.

Rent a kayak or canoe in Lovell (or bring your own) and paddle into the canyon coves at dawn — the canyon walls reflected in the turquoise still water of the morning lake, with bighorn sheep visible on the cliff faces and the silence broken only by the occasional splash of a rising fish, is the definitive Bighorn Canyon experience. Before or after the canyon, drive the Pryor Mountain back road (a high-clearance dirt road above the southern unit; passable by most vehicles in dry conditions — check conditions locally) for wild-mustang viewing; the chance of seeing the Pryor herd (especially the stallions and their bands of mares in the open mountain meadows) is excellent in the morning and evening. Call the Bighorn Canyon NRA visitor center in Lovell (307-548-5406) before your visit to get current lake levels, mustang-herd location reports, and any road-condition advisories.