Lower Rapid
- 2.7 mi
- round trip
- 602 ft
- climb
- 7,544 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Jun–Sep
- best months
Is Lower Rapid 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.
Lower Rapid is a 2.7-mile out-and-back hike in the Tongue Ranger District of Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming, on land managed by the Forest Service. The trail climbs about 600 feet from a low point of roughly 6,940 feet to a high of about 7,544 feet, and it is rated hard. The route is on natural surface, and bikes are allowed. The Forest Service keeps the trail open from June 15 to November 15, and it is best done in summer, when typical averages from the nearby Burgess Junction weather station put July highs around 71°F and lows near 42°F. That station sits a few hundred feet higher than the trail, so temperatures on the route run a little warmer. Nearby, Walker Prairie is about 1.7 miles away and Big Goose Canyon about 2.6 miles. For paddling and camping, West Fork Big Goose Creek and Ranger Creek Campground are each about 3.6 miles off, and the Eastern Big Horns climbing area is about 4.4 miles away.
- Walker PrairieHiking1.7 mi
- Big Goose CanyonHiking2.6 mi
- West Fork Big Goose CreekCanoeing3.6 mi
Ranger Creek CampgroundCampingPhoto: G Mack, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)3.6 mi- East Fork CampgroundCamping3.9 mi
- Eastern Big HornsRock climbing4.4 mi
- Taurine CorridorRock climbing5.7 mi
- Big Goose CreekCanoeing5.9 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
- Walker PrairieHiking · ~3 min drive
- Big Goose CanyonHiking · ~4 min drive
- Teepee TrailHiking · ~6 min drive
- Quartz CreekHiking · ~7 min drive
- Soldier CreekHiking · ~9 min drive
- RAPID CREEKHiking · ~7 min drive
- Bear Gulch TrailHiking · ~7 min drive
- BIG GOOSE CUTOFFHiking · ~9 min drive
- Sawmill LakesHiking · ~7 min drive
- Antler CreekHiking · ~9 min drive
Best time to visit Lower Rapid
Best months: June–September. 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
30° / 8°
Feb
29° / 7°
Mar
35° / 13°
Apr
41° / 18°
May
50° / 28°
Jun
61° / 35°
Jul
71° / 42°
Aug
70° / 41°
Sep
61° / 33°
Oct
46° / 23°
Nov
36° / 15°
Dec
29° / 8°
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Burgess Junction, WY, 17 mi away at 8,060 ft. The station sits about 500 ft higher than this place, so expect it a little warmer here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
