Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area is a national recreation area run by the National Park Service that spans Montana and Wyoming: about 27,890 acres of it are in Carbon County, Montana. There is no entrance fee. It is open 24 hours a day, year-round.
Current notices posted by the managing agency. Checked Oct. 5, 2026.
- Closure: No Water Available at Ok-A-Beh Marina - Flushing Restrooms Closed Due to a water shortage, flushable toilets are currently unavailable at the Ok-A-Beh Marina. Vault toilets are available at the upper parking lot and a floating restroom is available on the courtesy dock.
Check current closures and fire restrictions for Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area on the managing agency's own page.
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area map
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area boundary from USGS PAD-US or the managing agency, simplified for display. Not for navigation or legal boundaries.
Fire restrictions
This unit's own agency alerts list no fire restriction as of Oct. 5, 2026. We do not check a statewide fire-order feed for MT, so that is not a statement that no order exists, and not a green light for a fire. Check with the land manager and your county before you light anything.
County and local burn bans may also apply on private, state, or county land nearby. On federal land, follow the land manager's order; off it, follow the strictest county or local rule that applies. When both touch your trip, obey both.
Common questions
- Partly. About 27,890 acres of Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area are in Montana (measured from the park's boundary map); the rest is in Wyoming.
- Yes. Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area has no entrance fee.
- Yes. Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area is open 24 hours a day, year-round.
Fees, passes, and hours
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area has no entrance fee.
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area is open 24 hours a day, year-round.
Sources: nps.gov, checked 2026-09-30; nps.gov, checked 2026-09-30.
Getting there
- Nearest town: Fort Smith, 18.7 miles
Source: www2.census.gov, checked 2026-09-30.
Fishing and water
- Yellowtail Afterbay Reservoir fishing (0.5 miles outside the boundary): its fishing and stocking record on fishypedia.com.
- Bighorn Lake fishing (0.9 miles outside the boundary): its fishing and stocking record on fishypedia.com.
Public lands next to Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
- National forestCuster Gallatin National Forest is 1.7 miles away, straight line between the two boundaries.
Measured between the units' boundaries as mapped in USGS PAD-US. Distances are straight line, not driving.
- nps.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
- www2.census.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
- nps.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
- nps.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
- nps.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
The sentences on this page are generated by software from the sourced records above, not written by hand. How this content is made.