Bighorn Mountains
Bighorn Mountains - Experience the beauty of the Northern Wyoming countryside. The changing terrain and wildlife are amazing.
The Big Horn Mountains caress the landscape of northern Wyoming and southern Montana. They extend northwest of the Rocky Mountains. The scenery of the Bighorn Mountains is spectacular. Some of the peaks are over 13,000 feet in elevation! Many are over 12,000 feet high. They seem to rise up quickly when travelling from the east. It was about 70 million years ago that the Bighorn Mountains appeared from the crust of the Earth. See the terrain of the Bighorn Mountains change along the way. You will see everything from forests, to prairies, canyons, meadows, alpine peaks, and open deserts -- all within a single day of driving.
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An active Glacier can be seen in the Bighorn Mountains. Its name is Cloud Peak Glacier, and it can be found near Cloud Peak. Every year in June and event called the The Big Horn Trail Run is held. This is and ultramarathonan
that is held in The Big Horn Mountains. The rivers that flow through this beautiful land include the Powder, Little Bighorn, and tongue rivers.
A short list of activities you can enjoy while sightseeing in the Bighorn Mountains include snowmobiling, skiing, camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, mountain biking, picnicking, horseback riding, sightseeing, photography, and sledding.
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Take your choice or routes from Highway 14, 14A, or 16 through the Bighorn Mountains. You cannot go wrong with any of these scenic routes. Drive or ride Highway 14, also known as the Scenic Byway. This wonderful route will take you through Greybull and Sheridan. Or take Highway 16, the Cloud Peak Skyway through Tensleep and Buffalo for fantastic views of the snow atop the Bighorn Mountains. Another option is highway 14A near Lovell. It is also known as Medicine Wheel Passage and takes you through high meadows.
Depending on the amount of time you have to take in the beauty of the Bighorn Mountains, some of the options you have are:
- Bud Love Winter Range: You will see some fantastic views of the Bighorn Mountains here. Animals like antelope, deer, turkey, and even elk will likely greet you here.
- Dry Creek Petrified Trees: Go back in time on this tour. A great walking tour can be enjoyed here as well. Can you remember the names of all of the petrified trees?
- Fort Phil Kearny: Some major fighting happened here. The museum is a must see.
- Crazy Woman Canyon: Get extremely close to the gorgeous rock formations along the
- incredible streams nearby. The road is dirt splitting the huge canyon walls, so it may not be good for RVs or motorcycles.
- Pole Creek and Sheep Mountain: You can clearly see Cloud Peak from here. Again, a motorcycle might not be a good way to see this one.
- Outlaw Cave: This is where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid hid out at sometimes while in the Bighorn Mountains. You can see the Indian writings not far down the trail. You may not want to ride the motorcycle on this one either.
The Bighorn Mountains are a great place to go backpacking, hiking, horseback riding, and even fly fishing. The trails are numerous all through the forest. Backcountry hiking can be enjoyed in the Cloud Peak Wilderness. Watch out for snow if you are planning to hike the higher elevation trails. Snow storms are not uncommon up here, even as early as Labor Day.
