Tonight’s hotel was the last I had pre-booked before starting the trip as I am now heading out of premium tourist areas with limited accommodations and towards larger cities as I travel east. I, therefore, planned the day with just one tourist target in mind so that I would have time to book hotels for the coming days this evening.
The focus of the day was Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area which, based on photos I had seen, looked special. It was a relatively short drive of about 90 miles (145 km) from Red Lodge and did not disappoint.
I first drove to an overlook of where Bighorn Canyon and Devil Canyon meet.
This is Bighorn Canyon which was created by the Bighorn river as it flows north. It is the largest tributary of the Yellowstone river and exposes 5 million years of geology in the canyon wallsThis is a side canyon of the Bighorn Canyon, called Devil Canyon. At this point the canyon walls are about 1,000 feet (305 m) high and the river is 350 feet (105 m) wide.
I then hiked the Ranger’s Delight and State Line trails from the trailhead south to the 45th parallel that divides Montana and Wyoming.
There were limited views inside Bighorn Canyon from the trail but still pretty impressive.The State Line trail ends at the park road where you can step between Wyoming and Montana.The canyon is so big and close at the overlook that I had to blend 4 photos together to get this more panoramic view. Bighorn Canyon is on the left and Devil Canyon the right. Click for the full size image (over 12 MB).
4 thoughts on “Bighorn Canyon – Another Natural Wonder”
Your research has paid off with another gem. Currently at White Sands National Park/ Monument , New Mexico. Slightly cooler now. USA never fails to deliver if you take the right road! LA, on the other hand was as bad as always for traffic, and early morning freebasing in Hollywood was not an isolated incident.
I agree, LA is horrible to drive in but, once you get away from the big cities, there is so much to see and discover. Hope the trip is living up to expectations.
The wadis in other places, like Jordan are pretty but the scale of US’ landforms are awe inspiring. Just looking at eons of Earth’s climate.
The rivers of this country have done a grand job of cutting through the layers to expose the past.
Your research has paid off with another gem. Currently at White Sands National Park/ Monument , New Mexico. Slightly cooler now. USA never fails to deliver if you take the right road! LA, on the other hand was as bad as always for traffic, and early morning freebasing in Hollywood was not an isolated incident.
I agree, LA is horrible to drive in but, once you get away from the big cities, there is so much to see and discover. Hope the trip is living up to expectations.
The wadis in other places, like Jordan are pretty but the scale of US’ landforms are awe inspiring. Just looking at eons of Earth’s climate.
The rivers of this country have done a grand job of cutting through the layers to expose the past.