Wyoming · Hiking

Copper Creek

3.7 mi
round trip
1,074 ft
climb
8,326 ft
high point
Out and back
route
Jun–Sep
best months

Caution at last check

Agency alerts are in effect for this area; weather is good · USFS, OpenWeather · checked 14 h ago

Is Copper Creek open right now?

No closures listed

The Forest Service lists no closures for Bighorn National Forest.

As of · Source: USFS · Bighorn National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Copper Creek is a 3.7-mile out-and-back hike in the Tongue Ranger District of Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming, managed by the Forest Service. The trail starts at about 8,322 feet and climbs to a high point of 8,326 feet, with a total elevation gain of 1,074 feet over the course of the round trip. The steepest stretch comes at about 1.5 miles in, where the grade reaches 21 percent. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from the nearby Burgess Junction weather station, at a similar elevation, show July highs around 71°F with lows near 42°F, while winter highs stay in the 20s. The trail is open from June 15 to November 15, and the trip takes about two hours. Bikes are allowed on the natural-surface route. Tie Flume campground sits just 0.7 miles away, and the South Tongue River offers canoeing about a mile off. Dead Swede and Owen Creek campgrounds are both within about 2.6 miles.