After the disappointing failed trek as much as Pine Creek Lake, yours really was in a little bit of a rotten temper, however spirits had been lifted after reaching Bighorn Canyon Nationwide Recreation Space, an enthralling and uncrowded park on the Montana-Wyoming border. Right here I did a few hikes with canyon views earlier than settling in to camp exterior the park, on the foot of the majestic Bighorn Mountains, on the finish of Day 13 of the July/August street journey.
Slicing right into a basin between Pryor Mountain and the Bighorn Vary, Bighorn Canyon spans the Montana–Wyoming state line and options steep partitions of sandstone, shale, and limestone above a man-made lakebed. Many of the motion is within the southern finish of the park—accessed from Route 37 exterior Lovell, Wyoming—together with a number of first rate quick hikes to excessive viewpoints on the precipice of the canyon. The Rangers Delight Path, one of many best choices, is located a half mile north of the Montana state line and culminates at an unguarded outcrop above a snaking bend within the Bighorn River. Whereas views are arguably higher at Devils Canyon Overlook slightly additional north, this good leg-stretcher nonetheless brings of the satisfaction marketed within the path’s identify.
The hike
To achieve the trailhead, drive north for 4.3 miles from the spur to Horseshoe Bend Marina, crossing from Wyoming into Montana. Search for a pull-off on the left and a small, weathered signal for the Rangers Delight Path on the fitting. Park and cross the street to the beginning of the route, which instantly begins to climb, with a minor ravine right down to the fitting.
Rise among the many pinyon/juniper scrub that resembles Arizona or Utah, cresting a saddle after about 300 yards. From right here hikers can see Pryor Mountain to the north and the other partitions of Bighorn Canyon to the east, although the river stays obscured for now. Descend mildly to a junction at ¼ mile, with the Ranger Delight Path persevering with left.
“Path” is extra of an aspiration than actuality as the trail rapidly dissipates amid the sagebrush. It’s comparatively simple, nonetheless, to observe among the slickrock out to the overlook, located on a shale outcrop set above the canyon. Now one can see right down to the river because it rounds a pointy bend. The shale, sandstone, and limestone partitions are multihued with shades of grey, orange, yellow, and purple. The oldest rocks date to the Cambrian Interval, greater than 350 million years previous.
When prepared, return the best way you got here, or if , route south on the State Line Path, reaching again into the state of Wyoming.
