Bighorn Canyon straddles the border of Eastern Montana and Western Wyoming. It is a winding canyon cut by hundreds of millions of years of river that empties into a lake then continues flowing farther south. As the name suggests, it is home to Bighorn sheep. Part of this area, though not the canyon itself, belongs to the Crow Native American tribe and special permission is needed to gain access to Bighorn mountain in its entirety. Adjacent to this area is Medicine Mountain and it’s Bighorn Medicine Wheel, a spiritual mecca for many native tribes worldwide. The wheel monument is protected by the local national park service. The monument is made of various stone layed in a wheel and spoke design. This is the sight of religious and spirit quest rituals and has been for thousands of years and is still used today.

Originally, we had planned to drive from Missoula to North Dakota but realized we weren’t feeling up for a 11 hour drive day and instead re routed to the Bighorn Canyon area. We didn’t know what to expect and had not researched but it was a good mid point between Missoula and The Black Hills of South Dakota where we were headed. Approaching the canyon we were a little skeptical because our drive took us through many seemingly deserted towns and county roads with seemingly nothing around. To our surprise and delight, we pulled into the canyon recreation area and it was a beautiful little spot with plenty of available camp spots despite the holiday weekend. We chose a spot near the lake and marina which has a nice view of the red rock canyon and the marina offered food, beer, and free live music.

We set up Carl and headed toward the lake, got a spot in the lawn of the marina, and had a really nice night watching the sunset while eating burgers, drinking cheap beer, and listening to the live band that were surprisingly talented.


The next morning we drove around the canyon to check out some overlooks and viewpoints, learned a bit about its history, and encountered a herd of Bighorn sheep grazing atop of the canyon with their kids. We realized many people brought their boats because you can boat in the lake and through the canyon itself which would be a unique and fun experience . If youre in the eastern Montana or western Wyoming area, Bighorn Canyon and Medicine Mountain are worth a drive through or an overnight stay.

