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Map of Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area in Montana. Shown in sage green, the inverted comma-shaped site stretches from north central Wyoming into the south-central region of Montana.

Extended Description

Numerous protected areas and other locations flank Bighorn Canyon Recreation Area while dozens of waterways in blue branch out around it and a handful of roadways connect the region. This description will detail sites in and around Bighorn Canyon before situating it within the surrounding area and then transcribing the legend.

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area

Beginning in the northeast corner of the map, Bighorn River runs first southwest and then more southerly, becoming Bighorn Lake as it enters the main park and slithers along the eastern perimeter. Another section of the lake creates a bulb at the southern tip of the park.

Two sites located in and around a small, detached region north of the main area are shown as Three Mile Access with boat ramp and Hayfield Fight Monument, which is on private property. Heading south, Site of Historic Fort C. F. Smith is marked by a white square on private property just north of the park between the Bighorn River and County Road 313.

Continuing down, sites along the Bighorn Lake on one side of a narrow loop at the northern end of the park are shown from north to south as follows: Afterbay Dam with a boat ramp; Park Headquarters with a ranger station; Afterbay with a campground and picnic area; Yellowtail Dam Visitor Center with wheelchair access; Yellowtail Dam; Ok-A-Beh with a boat ramp, marina, lifeguarded swimming area, and snack bar; and Frozen Leg with a picnic area noted as boat-in only.

Slightly farther south, an eastward-reaching appendage runs along Black Canyon with Black Canyon campground at the eastern tip, also noted as boat-in only. From here, the recreation area continues past several creeks, then runs along Bighorn Canyon for a stretch before the park widens significantly. Here, park boundaries widen to include Lockhart Ranch, which has limited access, and Medicine Creek, which is boat-in only.

Moving on, County Road 37 runs south through much of the rest of the park. Beginning at its northern terminus along the western bank of Bighorn Lake, sites are shown from north to south as follows: Barry’s Landing with a boat ramp, picnic area, and campground; Hillsboro with limited access; Ewing-Snell Ranch; Two Eagles Interpretive Trail; Devil Canyon Overlook; a campground near Horseshoe Bend, which has a boat ramp, marina, lifeguarded swimming area, picnic area, and snack bar; and Crooked Creek with a ranger station.

Finally, two sites in the southernmost region of the recreation area are situated along US Route 14A with Kane at the western edge of Bighorn Lake and Mason-Lovell Ranch on the eastern bank.

Surrounding Area

Shown in peach, most of the northern two-thirds of the map covers a portion of Montana designated as Crow Indian Reservation with the recreation area running through it and red text that reads, “No Trespassing.” A beige pocket to the west of Bighorn Canyon on the Montana side includes a shaded rectangle labeled “Custer-Gallatin National Forest,” the Pryor Mountains, and a plot shaded with gray lines bordering the recreation area labeled “Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range.” Spanning the map from west to east, a blue dashed line marks the historic route of Bozeman Trail, which nearly skims the northern tip of Bighorn Canyon as it descends southeast over Bighorn River.

Legend

A scale in the top left corner of the map measures distances of 5 and 10 kilometers and 5 and 10 miles. The legend continues as follows:

Green for National Recreation Area,

Peach for Crow Indian Reservation,

Gray diagonal shading angled top left to bottom right for Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range, and

Gray diagonal shading angled top right to bottom left for Yellowtail Wildlife Habitat Management Area.

Ten symbols represent Wheelchair-accessible, Ranger station, Boat ramp, Interpretive trail, Marina, Lifeguarded swimming area, Picnic area, Campground, National Forest campground, and Snack bar.