Bighorn Lake

Bighorn Lake is a grand yet lightly visited water body that traverses over 70 miles between Northern Wyoming and Southern Montana.  Impounded by the imposing Yellowtail Dam, most of the reservoir is confined by the steep to vertical walls of the Bighorn River Canyon as it slices through the Bighorn Mountain Range.  Although the original river is irreversibly altered by the drowning of the canyon, the current setting remains quite spectacular and exciting exploration via paddleboard, canoe or kayak.  

☆ Strait at Crooked Creek

☆ Narrow Side Canyon

Despite its immense size, there are only a handful of locations where the lake can be easily accessed by motor vehicle.   Two of those places are featured in this post.  Crooked Creek Bay and Barry's Landing are both accessed from WY Hwy. 37, just east of Lovell, WY on U.S. Route 14A.  

Vicinity Map

    Location Info: [key]:

    Scenery: 5
    Shoreline Interest: 3-5
    Use: Low-moderate
    Fee: None
    Access: Paved
    Full elev = 3640; 

    Water level
    Rec info 
    Rec map 

    Weather (Barrys Landing) 

    Weather (Crooked Creek)