Bighorn
- 13.3 mi
- round trip
- 1,328 ft
- climb
- 6,483 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- May–Oct
- best months
Is Bighorn open right now?
No closures listed
The Forest Service lists no closures for Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest.
As of · Source: USFS · Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Bighorn is a hard hike in the Pilgrim Creek Roadless Area of the Belt Creek-White Sulphur Springs Ranger District, part of the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest in Montana. The trail is about 13 miles long, with a one-way elevation gain of 1,328 feet, and it rises from a low point of about 4,800 feet to a high of about 6,500 feet. The Forest Service manages the land, and the route is natural-surfaced, with horses and bikes allowed. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Neihart, which sits roughly 1,250 feet lower than the high point, show July and August highs around 81°F with lows near 47°F. Winter is cold, with January highs around 37°F and lows near 16°F. The trail is open year-round. Pilgrim Creek is about 2.4 miles away, and Paine Gulch is about 3.8 miles away. Logging Creek Campground is about 5.6 miles away, and Belt Creek, a canoeing route, is about 5.2 miles away.
- Pilgrim CreekHiking2.4 mi
- Paine GulchHiking3.8 mi
- Tillinghast CreekHiking4.3 mi
- Belt CreekCanoeing5.2 mi
- Dry GulchHiking5.4 mi
- Logging Creek CgCamping5.6 mi
- SawmillHiking6.3 mi
- Aspen CgCamping8.1 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Memorial FallsHiking · ~25 min drivePhoto: Forest Service - Northern Region, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)- Paine GulchHiking · ~7 min drive
- Tillinghast CreekHiking · ~7 min drive
- Figure 8 Loop NRTHiking · ~14 min drive
- MONUMENT RIDGEHiking · ~15 min drive
- Dry GulchHiking · ~9 min drive
- SawmillHiking · ~11 min drive
- Crescent Park ConnectorHiking · ~20 min drive
- Crawford CreekHiking · ~13 min drive
- RUGBY CREEKHiking · ~14 min drive
Best time to visit Bighorn
Best months: May–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
37° / 16°
Feb
40° / 16°
Mar
46° / 22°
Apr
54° / 27°
May
63° / 35°
Jun
71° / 42°
Jul
81° / 47°
Aug
81° / 47°
Sep
72° / 40°
Oct
58° / 32°
Nov
44° / 24°
Dec
37° / 16°
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Neihart 8 Nnw, MT, 6.2 mi away at 5,230 ft. The station sits about 1,300 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
