Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area is divided between two districts in Northern Wyoming and Southern Montana. The park offers great camping, hiking, and boating recreational opportunities.

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area

We visited Bighorn Canyon NRA in Montana on what turned out to be a cold, grey, foggy day which was not what we had planned at all. We were supposed to go on a scenic boat ride to explore the canyon and learn more about the Ok-A-Beh Marina and Bighorn Lake.

Sadly we were unable to go out on the water due to the fog and weather. Instead, we spent time trying to explore as much as we could. This is a park we definitely want to return to and spend more time exploring.

Bighorn Canyon NRA was established as federally protected land by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966, following the construction of the Yellowtail Dam by the Bureau of Reclamation. The park includes 120,000 acres of wilderness.

Bighorn Lake extends 71 miles through Wyoming and Montana 55 miles of Bighorn Lake is within Bighorn Canyon NRA. The park has spectacular views and world-class boating.

Top Things to do in Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area

Ok-A-Beh Marina

The Ok-A-Beh Marina is located near Fort Smith, Montana. It is open from Memorial Day until Labor Day throughout each year.

The marina offers fishing and boating supplies, food and beverage sales, pontoon rentals, and safety equipment.

Ok-A-Beh Marina:
Phone: 406-623-9281
Email: OkabehMarina@gmail.com
Website: http://www.crow-nsn.gov/okabeh-marina.html

Horseshoe Bend Marina

The Horseshoe Bend Marina is located near Lovell, Wyoming. It is open Memorial Day weekend through early September.

The marina offers fishing and boating supplies, paddle boat rentals, Food and beverage sales including beer, and boat slip rentals.

Horseshoe Bend Marina:
Phone: 307-548-7230 (Summer)
307-899-1401 (Winter)
Website: https://www.horseshoebend-marina.com/

Hidden Treasure Charters Scenic Boat Tours

Hidden Treasures Charters is located at the Horseshoe Bend Marina in Wyoming. They offer scenic boat tours of Bighorn Canyon including a sunset tour and daily 2-hour scenic tours.

2-hour tours daily from Horseshoe Bend Marina at 10 am and 2 pm
Sunset Cruises Friday and Saturday Evenings at 6:30 pm

Hidden Treasure Charters:
Phone: 307-899-1401
Email: info@hiddentreasurecharters.com
To book a tour go to http://www.hiddentreasurecharters.com/

Free Kayak Tours

Both the Montana and Wyoming offer free guided kayak tours from the National Park Service. Check with the visitor center for the upcoming times of tours.

Camping

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area has five camping areas with over 100 campsites. Almost all camping in Bighorn Canyon is on a first-come, first-served basis.

There are a very small number of reservable spots available on the south district online only at: https://www.horseshoebend-marina.com/

First Come First Serve Campgrounds

Horseshoe Bend Campground - 48 sites with 19 water and electrical hook-up sites. There are 3 pull-through sites. Modern Restrooms, RV dump station, and drinking water are available

Afterbay Campground - 40 sites near Fort Smith, Montana. 28 RV and tent sites are located on the south shore of Afterbay lake, 12 RV and tent sites are located near Grapevine Creek on the north shore of Afterbay lake. Composting vault toilets, RV dump station, and drinking water available.

Barry's Landing & Trail Creek Campgrounds - 30 total sites located 27 miles from Lovell, Wyoming. The campgrounds have 14 RV sites (most RV sites are small for a 28 foot RV or smaller) and 16 tent sites.

For a fun adventure check out Escape Campervans. These campervans have built in beds, kitchen area with refrigerators, and more. You can have them fully set up with kitchen supplies, bedding, and other fun extras. They are painted with epic designs you can't miss!

Escape Campervans has offices in Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Denver, New York, and Orlando

Backcountry Camping

Backcountry camping is allowed on Bighorn Lake below the high watermark of 3640 feet elevation in undeveloped areas.

Hiking

There are over 17 miles of hiking trails within the park. These trails range from short distances to full-day hikes. You can download the Bighorn Canyon NRA Trail Guide for details on each of the trails.

Wild Horses

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area is home to one of the largest herds of wild horses in the United States. Make sure to keep your eyes open while driving in the park.

Camera Gear we use

We are big fans of using great camera gear to get amazing photos while traveling.

Canon R5 - We recently upgraded to the R5 after using a Mark 5 for years. We are loving the camera shutter speed and quality of images.

Canon 100 - 500mm - We use the Canon 100-500 for wildlife photography.

Camera Rain Cover - A rain cover will help protect your camera during rain showers but also when photographing waterfalls.

Camera Cleaning Kit - Cameras can get dirty, beat up, and dusty while in the parks. We like having a cleaning kit with us so we can do on the spot touch ups.

Extra Camera Batteries - We suggest always having one or two extra camera batteries with you. There is nothing worse than going to take a shot and the battery dies.

Extra Memory Cards - We use Extreme PRO SanDisk cards

Historic ranches

Bighorn Canyon NRA is home to four historic ranches. Visitors can walk around the ranches and explore the area.

The ranches are:

During the summer when staffing is available the park offers tours of the historic ranches. You can find out more about the historic ranch tours here.

Disabled Access: For those who have a permanent disability and would like to access one of the historic ranches, please contact the front desk at the Bighorn Canyon Visitor Center at 307-548-5406 at least 48 hours in advance to arrange your visit.

Things to know when planning a trip to Big Horn Canyon NRA

Bighorn Canyon NRA is divided into two districts that are approximately 3 hours away from each other.

Cal S. Taggart Visitor Center -Wyoming

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area South District Visitor Center
20 US Hwy 14A, Lovell, WY 82435

The Lovell WY visitor center is open year-round. Cal S. Taggart visitor center in Lovell, WY is open 8:30 - 4:30 daily.

Yellowtail Dam Visitor Center - Montana

The Yellowtail Dam visitor center in Fort Smith, MT is only open from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Cell Phone Service - Cell phone service in the park is limited and dependent on the carrier.

Restrooms - There are floating docks with restrooms every few miles in the canyon.

Learn more about National Park Passes for parks that have an entrance fee.

$80.00 - For the America the Beautiful/National Park Pass. The pass covers entrance fees to all US National Park Sites and over 2,000 Federal Recreation Fee Sites for an entire year and covers everyone in the car for per-vehicle sites and up to 4 adults for per-person sites.

2024 America The Beautiful National Park Pass

Buy your pass at this link, and REI will donate 10% of pass proceeds to the National Forest Foundation, National Park Foundation, and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Communities.

National Park Free Entrance Days -Mark your calendars with the five free entrance days the National Park Service offers annually.