Porcupine Falls
About
Porcupine Falls is a waterfall in the Medicine Wheel Ranger District of Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming, managed by the Forest Service. The nearest town is Shell, about 23 miles away, and the falls sit at roughly 8,200 feet. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. 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 near freezing. Several other spots lie within a few miles. The Intermission Fire boulders (a.k.a. Fruit Basket) are about 1.3 miles away, and the Tillets Hole hike is about 1.6 miles off. Porcupine Campground is about 3.2 miles away, and Five Springs Falls Campground is about 4.4 miles away.
Waterfall Facts
Elevation
8,217 ft
Land manager
Forest Service
Elevation from USGS 3D Elevation Program terrain data (about 10 m resolution).
Location
Porcupine Falls
Wyoming
Name and location: U.S. Geological Survey, Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). Elevation: USGS 3D Elevation Program. View the GNIS record.
Facts about this place
When to go
Best time to go: Jun–Sep. The mildest months here, with typical highs of 61–71°F and lows of 33–42°F.
Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Burgess Junction, WY weather station, 20 mi away. High / low in °F.
- Jan30° high8° low
- Feb29° high7° low
- Mar35° high13° low
- Apr41° high18° low
- May50° high28° low
- Jun61° high35° low
- Jul71° high42° low
- Aug70° high41° low
- Sep61° high33° low
- Oct46° high23° low
- Nov36° high15° low
- Dec29° high8° low
Where it is
- Medicine Wheel Ranger District · Ranger district
- Bighorn National Forest · National forest
- Nearest town
- Shell, Wyoming · 23 mi
- Managed by
- Forest Service
Source: USFS EDW boundaries; USGS PAD-US 4.1; USGS GNIS populated places
Conditions
Active alerts for Medicine Wheel Ranger District as of Oct 9, 2026:
Forest Special Order 02-02-03-25-05 Shell Falls Interpretive Site Closure
caution · posted Aug 24, 2026
Forest Special Order 02-02-03-25-01 Medicine Wheel Area Closure
information · posted Aug 24, 2026
Source: USFS forest alerts
Nearby
- Intermission Fire boulders (a.k.a. Fruit Basket)Rock climbing1.3 mi
- Tillets HoleHiking1.6 mi
- Mexican HillHiking3.1 mi
- Porcupine CampgroundCamping3.2 mi
- Highway 14a BouldersRock climbing3.7 mi
- Five Springs Falls CampgroundCamping4.4 mi
Bald Mountain CampgroundCampingPhoto: Bas van Oorschot, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)4.4 mi- Porcupine CreekCanoeing7.4 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Is Porcupine Falls open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists an alert for Medicine Wheel Ranger District.
Forest Special Order 02-02-03-25-05 Shell Falls Interpretive Site Closure
Agency alert covering Medicine Wheel Ranger District · Order 02-02-03-25-05 · USFS · Medicine Wheel Ranger District
As of · Source: USFS · Medicine Wheel Ranger District. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit Porcupine Falls
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, 20.1 mi away at 8,060 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
