Sawmill Lakes
- 2.2 mi
- round trip
- 283 ft
- climb
- 8,442 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Jun–Sep
- best months
Is Sawmill Lakes 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.
Sawmill Lakes is an easy out-and-back hike in the Tongue Ranger District of Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming, managed by the Forest Service. The trail is about 2.2 miles long, with a total elevation gain of 283 feet, and it starts at a parking area named Sawmill Lakes. The route is natural-surfaced and open to both horses and bikes. It rises from a low point of about 8,154 feet to a high of about 8,442 feet, making it a short, gentle climb that works well for a day on foot or on horseback. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Burgess Junction show July highs around 71°F with lows near 42°F, while winter highs stay in the low 30s. Upper Sawmill Lake is about 0.4 miles away, and West Fork Big Goose Creek offers canoeing about a mile off. Ranger Creek Campground and East Fork Campground are both within about 5 miles for an overnight stay.
- Upper Sawmill LakeHiking0.4 mi
- West Fork Big Goose CreekCanoeing1 mi
- Coney CreekHiking2 mi
- SawmillHiking2.2 mi
- Eastern Big HornsRock climbing2.6 mi
Ranger Creek CampgroundCampingPhoto: G Mack, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)4 mi- East Fork CampgroundCamping4.6 mi
- Lamburger RockRock climbing7.2 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
- Upper Sawmill LakeHiking · Next door
- Coney CreekHiking · ~4 min drive
- Geddes LakeHiking · ~6 min drive
- GEDDES LAKEHiking · ~7 min drive
- Walker PrairieHiking · ~7 min drive
- BIG GOOSE CUTOFFHiking · ~8 min drive
- RAPID CREEKHiking · ~10 min drive
- Rock Chuck PassHiking · ~7 min drive
- Big Goose CanyonHiking · ~10 min drive
- GRANGER CUTOFFHiking · ~10 min drive
Best time to visit Sawmill Lakes
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, 15.5 mi away at 8,060 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
