Boat Winch
About
Boat Winch is a boat launch in Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area in Montana, managed by the National Park Service. The nearest town is Fort Smith, about 19 miles away. For comfortable weather, aim for late spring or early fall. Typical averages from the nearby Yellowtail Dam weather station show May highs around 68°F and September highs around 76°F, while July averages climb to about 89°F. Several short hikes start close by. Barry's Island Trail is under a mile away, and South Pasture and Hillsboro Trail are each about a mile off. Lockhart Ranch Trail is roughly 2.7 miles away.
Launch Details
Managed by
National Park Service
Facts about this place
When to go
Best time to go: May–Jun. The mildest months here, with typical highs of 68–78°F and lows of 44–53°F.
Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Yellowtail Dam, MT weather station, 19 mi away. High / low in °F, and days with snow.
- Jan38° high20° low3 days with snow
- Feb40° high21° low2 days with snow
- Mar50° high28° low2 days with snow
- Apr58° high36° low1 days with snow
- May68° high44° low
- Jun78° high53° low
- Jul89° high59° low
- Aug87° high57° low
- Sep76° high49° low
- Oct61° high38° low1 days with snow
- Nov48° high28° low1 days with snow
- Dec39° high21° low2 days with snow
Where it is
- Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area · National Park Service
- Nearest town
- Fort Smith, Montana · 19 mi
Source: NPS Land Resources boundaries; USGS GNIS populated places
Conditions
Active alerts for Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area as of Oct 9, 2026:
Bighorn Lake Elevation is Below 3625ft
Caution · posted Aug 24, 2026
No Water Available at Ok-A-Beh Marina - Flushing Restrooms Closed
Park Closure · posted Aug 24, 2026
Source: NPS Alerts API
Nearby
Barry’s Island TrailHikingPhoto: NPS / public domain0.9 mi- nullHiking1 mi
- South PastureHiking1 mi
- Hillsboro TrailHiking1.1 mi
- Lockhart Ranch TrailHiking2.7 mi
Lower Layout CreekHikingPhoto: Greg_Hanson, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)3.2 mi
Upper Layout Creek TrailHikingPhoto: Greg_Hanson, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)3.4 mi
Lower Layout Creek TrailHikingPhoto: NPS / public domain3.4 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Is Boat Winch open right now?
Closure in the area
There's a closure order in Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. It doesn't name Boat Winch, so check the source for the area it covers.
No Water Available at Ok-A-Beh Marina - Flushing Restrooms Closed
Park closure covering Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area · NPS · Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
As of · Source: NPS · Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
