Upper Sawmill Lake
- 0.7 mi
- round trip
- 46 ft
- climb
- 8,618 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Jun–Sep
- best months
Is Upper Sawmill Lake 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.
Upper Sawmill Lake is an easy hike of about 0.7 miles in the Tongue Ranger District of Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming, managed by the Forest Service. The trail is an out-and-back with a total elevation gain of about 46 feet, so it's a short walk that can be done in one direction or as a loop. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from the nearby Burgess Junction weather station show July highs around 71°F with lows near 42°F, while winter highs stay in the low 30s. The trail is on natural surface and allows both horses and bikes. Sawmill Lakes is about 0.4 miles away, and West Fork Big Goose Creek offers canoeing about 1.3 miles off. For an overnight stay, Ranger Creek Campground is about 4.4 miles away.
- Sawmill LakesHiking0.4 mi
- West Fork Big Goose CreekCanoeing1.3 mi
- SawmillHiking1.8 mi
- Coney CreekHiking1.9 mi
- Eastern Big HornsRock climbing2.5 mi
Ranger Creek CampgroundCampingPhoto: G Mack, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)4.4 mi- East Fork CampgroundCamping5 mi
- Lamburger RockRock climbing7.5 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
- Sawmill LakesHiking · Next door
- Coney CreekHiking · ~3 min drive
- Geddes LakeHiking · ~7 min drive
- GEDDES LAKEHiking · ~8 min drive
- Rock Chuck PassHiking · ~6 min drive
- BIG GOOSE CUTOFFHiking · ~8 min drive
- RAPID CREEKHiking · ~10 min drive
- Walker PrairieHiking · ~7 min drive
- Big Goose CanyonHiking · ~10 min drive
- GRANGER CUTOFFHiking · ~11 min drive
Best time to visit Upper Sawmill Lake
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, 15.1 mi away at 8,060 ft. The station sits about 600 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.
