From National Recreation Areas
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Visiting Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area is a National Recreation Area located in Montana and Wyoming. This vast and wild landscape offers visitors a chance to immerse themselves in the natural world. Encompassing over 120,000 acres, it presents an astounding diversity of ecosystems and wildlife. The area is also distinguished by more than 10,000 years of human history. One can find an astounding diversity in ecosystems, wildlife, and human history to explore in a vast, wild landscape.
Know Before You Go
- Designation
- National Recreation Area
- States
- MT, WY
- Park address
- Lovell, WY
- Entrance fee
- No entrance feeNPS data as of 2026-08-25
- Operating Considerations
- The Cal S. Taggart Bighorn Canyon Visitor Center is in Lovell, WY. It is closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
- Available Experiences
- Activities include hiking, scenic driving, wildlife watching, boating and paddling, fishing, camping, and biking.
- Camping
- Camping is available at Horseshoe Bend Campground, Barry's Landing & Trail Creek Campground, Afterbay Campground, Grapevine Campground, Medicine Creek Campground, Black Canyon Campground, and Dayboard 9 Campground.
- Visitor Centers
- The Cal S. Taggart Bighorn Canyon Visitor Center is located in Lovell, WY.
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Nearby ParkQwest Places
- Little Bighorn Battlefield National MonumentNational Monument · Approximately 46 miles away (straight line)
- Yellowstone National ParkNational Park · Approximately 129 miles away (straight line)
- John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial ParkwayNational Parkway · Approximately 144 miles away (straight line)
- Grand Teton National ParkNational Park · Approximately 156 miles away (straight line)
- Devils Tower National MonumentNational Monument · Approximately 172 miles away (straight line)
- Jewel Cave National MonumentNational Monument · Approximately 234 miles away (straight line)
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Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area by Season
Winter averages are high 39°F / low 21°F with about 8 inches of snow per month. Temperatures can drop below 0 (F) with extreme wind chill factors. The Cal S. Taggart Bighorn Canyon Visitor Center is closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Stories & Guides
Notes
Designation Date: 10/15/1966
The vast, wild landscape of Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area offers visitors unparalleled opportunities to immerse themselves in the natural world, and experience the wonders of this extraordinary place. With over 120,000 acres, one can find an astounding diversity in ecosystems, wildlife, and more than 10,000 years of human history to explore.