🏔️ Overview
The Bighorn Mountains rise dramatically from the plains and basins of northern Wyoming, with their northern end extending into southern Montana. Although somewhat separated from the better-known high ranges farther west, the Bighorns form an important part of the greater Rocky Mountain system.
The range combines high granite summits, broad forests, alpine tundra, deep canyons, glacial lakes, waterfalls, limestone cliffs, and remarkably old rocks. Its highest mountain, Cloud Peak, reaches 13,167 feet (4,013 meters), making it one of the dominant summits of northern Wyoming.
Much of the mountainous core lies within Bighorn National Forest, while some of its wildest high country is protected as the Cloud Peak Wilderness. Farther north, the mountains descend toward the spectacular canyon country surrounding the Bighorn River.
Unlike Wyoming’s jagged Teton Range or the extensive Wind River Range, the Bighorns rise as a broad isolated mountain uplift surrounded by lower terrain. This separation helps give the range its tremendous visual prominence when approached from either the plains to the east or the Bighorn Basin to the west.
⚡ Fast Facts
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Continent | North America |
| Country | United States |
| States | Wyoming and Montana |
| Mountain System | Rocky Mountains |
| Highest Point | Cloud Peak |
| Highest Elevation | 13,167 feet / 4,013 meters |
| Approximate Length | 150 miles / 240 kilometers |
| Maximum Width | About 30 miles / 48 kilometers |
| Major Protected Area | Bighorn National Forest |
| Principal Wilderness | Cloud Peak Wilderness |
| Mountain-Building Period | Laramide Orogeny |
| Major Landscape Features | Granite peaks, alpine lakes, glacial valleys, forests, limestone cliffs and canyons |
📍 Location
The Bighorn Mountains extend generally northwest to southeast across north-central Wyoming and south-central Montana.
They stand between two major lowland regions. The Bighorn Basin lies to the west, separating the range from mountains closer to Yellowstone and the Absaroka region. To the east lies the Powder River Basin and the broad plains of northeastern Wyoming.
Several communities serve as gateways to the mountains.
Sheridan and Buffalo provide access from the eastern side, while Lovell, Greybull, Worland and Ten Sleep provide approaches from the west. U.S. Highways 14, 14A and 16 cross the range and provide some of the most scenic mountain driving in Wyoming.
The Bighorns are included among the many individual ranges forming the Rocky Mountains. Their somewhat isolated position, however, gives them a character very different from the more continuously mountainous terrain of western Wyoming.
📏 Elevation & Major Peaks
The central Bighorns contain the highest and most rugged terrain in the range.
Cloud Peak, at 13,167 feet, is the highest summit in both the Bighorn Mountains and Bighorn National Forest. It rises within the Cloud Peak Wilderness and dominates a landscape of high granite ridges, glacial basins and alpine lakes.
Other notable summits include:
- Black Tooth Mountain
- Bomber Mountain
- Mount Woolsey
- Bighorn Peak
- Darton’s Peak
- Penrose Peak
Several central Bighorn summits exceed 12,000 feet, while the northern and southern portions of the range gradually become lower.
The mountains are especially impressive when viewed from the east. Here, the high country rises thousands of feet above the surrounding plains over a comparatively short horizontal distance.
Cloud Peak’s published elevation has varied among maps and databases. The U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service currently use 13,167 feet, while some modern topographic datasets produce slightly different measurements.
🪨 Geology
The Bighorn Mountains are an outstanding example of a Laramide mountain uplift.
The Laramide Orogeny was a major period of mountain building that affected western North America beginning roughly 70 million years ago. Instead of forming solely along the western edge of the continent, tremendous tectonic forces produced large uplifts far inland.
The Bighorns developed as one of these enormous crustal blocks.
Deep beneath the younger sedimentary rocks were extremely ancient crystalline rocks belonging to the North American continental interior. As the mountains rose, erosion eventually exposed portions of this ancient core.
Some rocks exposed within the Bighorn Mountains are more than three billion years old.
Around the central crystalline core are thick sequences of sedimentary rock. Limestone, sandstone, shale and related formations accumulated when ancient seas repeatedly covered parts of the region hundreds of millions of years before the modern mountains existed.
Later uplift tilted many of these layers along the edges of the range.
This geology is especially easy to observe along highway cuts and canyons crossing the Bighorns. Travelers can move from younger sedimentary formations toward extraordinarily ancient crystalline rocks near the mountain core.
For a broader explanation of mountain-building processes, see How Are Mountains Formed?.
🧊 Glaciers, Lakes & Canyons
Ice played a major role in shaping the modern Bighorn landscape.
During the Pleistocene ice ages, glaciers occupied the highest portions of the range. Moving ice carved broad U-shaped valleys, cirques, basins and steep-sided mountain walls.
When the glaciers retreated, they left behind hundreds of lakes scattered throughout the high country.
The Cloud Peak Wilderness contains an especially large concentration of alpine lakes and streams. Many occupy depressions carved or modified by ancient glaciers.
A small glacier or persistent ice body remains in a deep cirque on the eastern side of Cloud Peak. It represents the last remnant of the much more extensive glaciation that once covered the high Bighorns.
Water leaving the mountains feeds numerous creeks and rivers before reaching the surrounding basins and plains.
At the northern end of the range, the Bighorn River cuts through the mountains, producing the immense walls and dramatic scenery associated with Bighorn Canyon.
🌿 Flora & Fauna
The enormous elevation range of the Bighorns creates several distinct ecological zones.
Lower slopes commonly support ponderosa pine, open woodland and grassland. At middle elevations, forests become increasingly dominated by species such as lodgepole pine.
Higher, cooler slopes support combinations of Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir.
Eventually the forest becomes increasingly sparse and disappears near timberline. Above it lies alpine tundra, where plants must survive strong winds, cold temperatures, short growing seasons and prolonged snow cover.
Mountain meadows add another important habitat. During summer, wildflowers can be abundant where moisture and soil conditions are favorable.
Large mammals found within the wider Bighorn ecosystem include:
- Elk
- Moose
- Mule deer
- Black bears
- Mountain lions
- Coyotes
- Smaller mountain mammals
Birds of prey, forest birds and alpine species also occupy different portions of the range.
The changing vegetation is particularly noticeable when driving across the mountains. In only a few hours, travelers can move from dry foothills through dense forest and into open subalpine and alpine environments.
🪶 Indigenous History & Medicine Mountain
The Bighorn Mountains are much more than a recreational landscape. They contain places of deep cultural and spiritual importance to Native American peoples.
One of the most significant is Medicine Wheel/Medicine Mountain National Historic Landmark in the northern Bighorns.
The stone Medicine Wheel consists of a central cairn surrounded by a roughly circular arrangement of stones with lines or “spokes” extending outward. The wider Medicine Mountain landscape contains numerous archaeological and cultural resources.
The site has been used by Native peoples since long before Euro-American settlement and remains culturally and spiritually important today.
The U.S. Forest Service describes the area as a major Native American sacred complex used by multiple tribes.
Visitors should therefore treat Medicine Mountain as a living sacred landscape, rather than simply an archaeological attraction. Ceremonial activities may occur, and respectful behavior is essential.
The wider Bighorn region also preserves evidence of thousands of years of human presence. Archaeological research in the Bighorn Canyon area indicates that people occupied the region at least 10,000 years ago.
🥾 Hiking & Climbing Routes
The Bighorns contain hiking opportunities ranging from short forest walks to demanding multi-day wilderness journeys.
Cloud Peak
Reaching Cloud Peak is one of the premier mountain objectives in the range.
Several approaches lead into the Cloud Peak Wilderness, with routes commonly beginning from trailheads on the western or eastern sides of the high country.
The climb is generally a strenuous backcountry undertaking rather than a simple maintained summit trail. Hikers should be prepared for substantial distance, navigation challenges, rock travel, rapidly changing weather and extended exposure above timberline.
Mistymoon Lake
Mistymoon Lake is one of the best-known destinations in the Cloud Peak Wilderness and can serve as part of longer backpacking routes toward Cloud Peak.
The surrounding country offers classic Bighorn scenery: alpine water, broad basins, exposed ridges and high granite mountains.
Solitude Trail
The Solitude Trail forms an extensive route through the central Bighorns and is popular with backpackers seeking a multi-day wilderness journey.
Its length, elevation changes and remote terrain require appropriate preparation and wilderness experience.
Shell Creek Area
Trails near Shell Creek provide access to forests, meadows, lakes and portions of the Cloud Peak Wilderness.
Numerous additional Forest Service trails provide opportunities for hiking, backpacking, horseback riding and fishing throughout the mountains.
🏔️ Field Guide Tip: The Bighorns may appear less rugged than the Tetons from a distance, but the Cloud Peak high country is serious wilderness. Carry navigation tools, rain protection, insulating layers and emergency supplies even on summer trips. See The Ten Essentials for Hiking before heading into remote terrain.
🚗 Scenic Drives
You do not have to climb Cloud Peak to experience the Bighorns.
Three major highways cross the mountains and offer very different perspectives on the landscape.
U.S. Highway 16
Highway 16 connects Buffalo with the Bighorn Basin near Ten Sleep.
The road passes through forests, mountain meadows and dramatic canyon scenery and is one of the principal approaches to the southern and central Bighorns.
U.S. Highway 14
Highway 14 climbs westward from the Sheridan-Dayton area and crosses the northern portion of Bighorn National Forest.
The route provides access to trails, campgrounds and high-elevation recreation.
U.S. Highway 14A
Highway 14A provides another spectacular crossing farther north.
The highway climbs steeply between the Bighorn Basin and the high northern Bighorns, revealing tilted sedimentary formations and broad views over the surrounding lowlands.
Road conditions can change considerably with elevation, and some high routes are subject to seasonal winter restrictions or closures.
🌤️ Best Time to Visit
For most hiking and backpacking trips, July through September offers the most dependable access to the Bighorn high country.
Snow often remains in higher areas well into early summer. According to the Forest Service, many trails and recreational areas do not become mostly snow-free until around early July, depending on the year’s snowpack.
July and August generally provide the easiest access to alpine destinations, but summer weather can change rapidly.
Afternoon thunderstorms are an important concern above timberline. Hikers traveling through exposed alpine terrain should begin early and remain prepared to descend if storms develop.
September can bring cooler temperatures, changing vegetation and fewer visitors, but early snowstorms become increasingly possible.
Winter transforms the Bighorns into a snow-covered landscape used for skiing, snowmobiling and other cold-weather recreation. However, many summer roads, campgrounds and trail facilities become inaccessible.
🧭 Nearby Mountains & Attractions
The Bighorn Mountains occupy an excellent position for exploring a wider section of northern Wyoming and southern Montana.
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
The northern Bighorns meet the dramatic canyon country surrounding the Bighorn River.
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area protects more than 120,000 acres in Wyoming and Montana and combines towering canyon walls, wildlife habitat, water recreation and important cultural resources.
Medicine Wheel / Medicine Mountain
Located in the northern Bighorns, Medicine Mountain is one of the most culturally important locations in the range and should be visited respectfully.
Sheridan
Sheridan lies near the eastern foot of the mountains and provides convenient access to Highway 14, forest roads and hiking areas.
Buffalo
Buffalo sits near the southeastern side of the range and is an important gateway to Highway 16 and southern Bighorn National Forest.
Wind River Range
Farther southwest lies Wyoming’s spectacular Wind River Range, home to Gannett Peak and some of the state’s largest glaciers and most rugged alpine wilderness.
Teton Range
Western Wyoming’s Teton Range offers an entirely different mountain landscape dominated by steep, sharply sculpted peaks.
Together, the Tetons, Winds and Bighorns demonstrate the extraordinary geological and geographic variety found within Wyoming’s portion of the Rocky Mountains.
💡 Fun Facts
- The Bighorn Mountains extend from north-central Wyoming into southern Montana.
- The range is approximately 150 miles long and up to roughly 30 miles wide.
- Cloud Peak is the highest mountain in the range at 13,167 feet.
- The high central Bighorns were extensively glaciated during the Pleistocene.
- Hundreds of lakes are scattered across the Cloud Peak Wilderness and surrounding high country.
- Some rocks exposed in the Bighorns are more than three billion years old.
- The mountains were uplifted during the same broad Laramide mountain-building period responsible for many Rocky Mountain ranges.
- Thick sedimentary rock formations surround the much older crystalline core.
- The Bighorn River cuts through the northern part of the mountain uplift.
- Medicine Wheel/Medicine Mountain is an important Native American sacred and cultural landscape.
- U.S. Highways 14, 14A and 16 provide three scenic routes across the Bighorns.
- The Bighorns contain ecosystems ranging from relatively dry foothills to alpine tundra.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Where are the Bighorn Mountains?
The Bighorn Mountains are located primarily in north-central Wyoming, with the northern end extending into southern Montana.
Are the Bighorn Mountains part of the Rocky Mountains?
Yes. The Bighorns are generally classified as part of the greater Rocky Mountain system, although they are geographically separated from several other major Wyoming ranges by broad basins.
What is the highest mountain in the Bighorn Mountains?
Cloud Peak is the highest summit in the range. The U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service list its elevation as 13,167 feet or approximately 4,013 meters.
How long are the Bighorn Mountains?
The National Park Service describes the range as approximately 150 miles long and about 30 miles across at its widest point.
Are there glaciers in the Bighorn Mountains?
Extensive glaciers covered the high Bighorns during the Pleistocene. Today, only a small remnant glacier or persistent ice body survives in a cirque on the eastern side of Cloud Peak.
Can you hike to the summit of Cloud Peak?
Yes, but reaching Cloud Peak is a strenuous backcountry undertaking. The mountain lies within wilderness, and summit routes involve long distances, high elevation, exposed rock and potentially severe weather.
Is Bighorn National Forest the same as the Bighorn Mountains?
No. The Bighorn Mountains are the geographic mountain range. Bighorn National Forest protects much of the Wyoming portion of the range but does not encompass every part of it.
When is the best time to hike in the Bighorns?
July through September is generally the best period for high-elevation hiking. Snow can linger into July, while autumn snowstorms can begin by September.
What is Cloud Peak Wilderness?
Cloud Peak Wilderness protects the rugged high-elevation center of the Bighorn Mountains surrounding Cloud Peak. It contains granite summits, alpine lakes, glacial valleys and extensive roadless terrain.
Why are the Bighorn Mountains geologically important?
The range exposes exceptionally old Precambrian crystalline rocks surrounded by younger sedimentary formations. Its uplift provides an excellent example of deformation associated with the Laramide Orogeny.
🔗 Related Articles
Continue exploring the mountains of Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain region:
- Mountain Ranges in the U.S.
- Rocky Mountains
- Wind River Range
- Teton Range
- Black Hills
- How Old Are the Rocky Mountains?
- Plant Life of the Rocky Mountains
- Mountain Ranges in the U.S.
- The Ten Essentials for Hiking
