Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
4.8(813)google
4.7(6)yelp
BoatingHikingCampingScenic LookoutOutdoorWildlife WatchingCanyonLakeRiver
Overview
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area is a national recreation area established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966, following the construction of the Yellowtail Dam by the Bureau of Reclamation. It is one of over 420 sites managed by the U.S. National Park Service. The recreation area spans 120,296.22 acres, straddling the border between Wyoming and Montana.
Practical Info
Every dayOpen 24 hours
Suggested Duration4-8 hours
Best TimeLate June through September delivers peak conditions for boating, canyon kayaking, and wilderness camping. The definitive star attraction experience is standing at the Devil's Canyon Overlook between 2:00 PM and 6:00 PM on a clear summer afternoon; overhead sun rays plunge straight down the 1,000-foot sheer vertical limestone cliffs, contrasting the deep orange rock faces brilliantly against the emerald-green ribbon river below.
Getting ThereThis massive recreation area is split into two non-interconnected segments; the Montana gateway sits near Fort Smith. Driving is strictly required: head southeast from Billings along I-90 to Hardin, turn south onto MT-313 South, and drive south for about 45 miles straight into the park's Yellowtail Dam visitor hub; wide paved boat-launch parking fields are active. No public transportation routes run down this corridor.
Travel Tips
- The park is physically split into non-contiguous north and south districts with no connecting interior road; driving between Fort Smith, MT and Lovell, WY requires a 3-hour detour.
- Towering canyon walls block all cellular communications; download comprehensive offline mapping before veering off regional highways into boat launches.
- Boaters departing from Ok-A-Beh Launch must wear USCG-approved PFDs at all times; diving or swimming outside designated, buoyed beach sectors is prohibited.
Reviews
Positive
- Featuring majestic 1,000-foot colorful sheer canyon cliffs with green water weaving through, the visual impact rivals the Grand Canyon. It totally lives up to its fame.
- The Devils Canyon Overlook infrastructure is fantastic; a flat, accessible platform is paired with sturdy safety railings and clear, detailed geological info plaques.
- A premier hub for boat cruising, kayaking, and spotting bighorn sheep; the NPS-managed boat launches and Ok-A-Beh Marina are clean, modern, and well-organized.
- The vehicle pass is very cheap, offering immense value! Compared to other famous canyons, user density here is very low, making it quiet and free from commercial over-packaging.
Heads up
- Extremely remote and splitting Montana/Wyoming, the north and south rims do not connect by land. Misreading maps forces hours of driving through desolate backroads to correct.
- Outside core overlooks, cell signals completely vanish for dozens of miles along mountain roads; GPS fails often, and there are no gas stations or diners, requiring early prep.
- High winds whip the canyon, especially on spring/summer afternoons, posing rockfall risks along winding mountain loops. Unfenced cliff paths get scary in strong gusts.
- Select marinas and tracks close temporarily during spring snowmelts or severe low-water drops; live multilingual synchronization of real-time safety updates is lacking.