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UNITED STATES | Custer Country, Montana Travel Guide
Friday, April 19, 2024
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Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area is situated just to the south of Hardin and west of the Crow Indian Reservation in the southern part of Montana. From the west the park can be accessed via Pryor, and so to St. Xavier - which sits just to the north of the park - journeying along a 35-mile stretch that rewards the visitor with starkly beautiful scenery, all chiseled coulees, swales and rounded hills. Chances are you’ll not see another living being, save an occasional deer.
South from St. Xavier on MT 313, the road follows the Bighorn River to Yellowtail Dam and the straggling town of Fort Smith. Fly fishing lodgings, fly shops and other services cater to anglers attracted to one of the finest tail water fisheries in the country. You must stop at the visitor center to purchase a permit before entering the Recreation Area.
Attractions other than fishing include a visit to the Yellowtail Dam Visitor Center, water sports and admiring the stupendous scenery afforded by the deep lake at the bottom of a dramatic 2,200-foot-deep gorge. The lake stretches south from Yellowtail Dam into Wyoming. The Pryor Mountains National Wild Horse Range rises across the lake. The northern half of the lake is surrounded by the Crow Indian Reservation and is inaccessible by road. WY 37 enters Montana on the west side of the lake and continues to Barry’s Landing. The Bighorn Canyon Visitor Center is at Lovell, Wyoming.
The best way to appreciate the magnitude of the lake and gorge is to drive the twisty 10-mile mountain road from Fort Smith to the Ok-A-Beh Marina. Views of the shimmering lake reflected in chiseled red-rock gorge walls, forever changing with the light, surpass magnificent.
Last updated November 16, 2010
Posted in United States | Custer Country
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