Bighorn National Forest

Travel | Bighorn National Forest

I love driving through Bighorn National Forest on my way to Yellowstone National Park, if entering from the east. Wildfire season was in full force and the landscape was more brown than green during my drive. Still quite beautiful.

Everyone I know who has driven through saw a moose EVERY time. Naturally, I have never seen one.

Top Five Hikes + Places to Explore

• Bighorn Scenic Byway - a 45 mile stretch of US Hwy 14 offering scenic valley views.

• Cloud Peak Wilderness - named after the tallest peak in the national forest, covered in snow most of the year. This wilderness area has over 189,000 acres of land.

• Cloud Peak Skyway - another 45 mile scenic drive, this one along US Hwy 16. Enjoy the southern Bighorn Mountains and distant mountain views along the way.

• Shell Creek Trail - a 5.2 mile hike along Shell Creek, through meadows and eventually reaching the boundary of the Cloud Peak Wilderness.

• Shell Falls - this waterfall along Shell Creek pours over granite. Also the site of the visitor center for the national forest.