Big Horn County

The sky's the limit in beautiful Big Horn County in the southwestern part of Big Horn Mountain Country. Recreation plays an important role in the lies of Big Horn County residents and visitors. Situated between the Towering Big Horns to the east and the scenic Pryor Mountains to the north, this area offers limitless opportunities for outdoor recreationists. Big Horn County, en route to Yellowstone to the west or the Black Hills to the east, boasts a number of historical and archaeological sites.

Located in the northern portion of Big Horn County is the magnificent Bighorn Canyon National Recreational Area. Covering over 120,000 acres, the recreation area offers an abundance of activities for people of all ages, including boating, fishing, camping and swimming. The towering canyon walls offer an opportunity to capture spectacular scenery on film or to explore the hidden nooks and crannies in the canyon. The Yellowtail Wildlife Habitat, occupying 10,000 acres of public hunting land, provides a designated feeding area for Wyoming game birds and waterfowl, and also creates an exceptional recreational facility for outdoor sportsmen. The facility, managed by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, accommodates primarily upland game birds and waterfowl.

Unique to Big Horn County is the first national wild horse refuge. The Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range, stretching over 40,000 acres, provides a peek at the untamed, natural beauty of the wild mustang, once free roaming in the territory.

The archaeology associated with Big Horn County is known throughout the world. The mystifying Medicine Wheel is located high in the Bighorn Mountains. Bad Pass Trail, marked by stone cairns, was once used by primitive Indians as a path to reach the great bison hunting grounds. It reaches into both northern Wyoming and southern Montana, near Lovell.

Big Horn County is home to three breathtaking waterfalls: Bucking Mule Falls, Porcupine Falls and Shell Falls. Shell Falls and its interpretive center are located on U.S. Highway 14.

Geological and paleontology resources abound in the Greybull/Shell area. Sheep Mountain is a textbook example of an anticline. Devil's Kitchen is a unique exposed example of Cloverly Formation. Significant dinosaur/fossil discoveries, including dinosaur foot prints in stone at the Red Gulch Dinosaur Track-site, have been located in the area.

Another distinctive archaeological site is the Medicine Lodge State Archaeological Site, located six miles from Hyattville, where evidence has been found indicating almost ten thousand years of residence in the area from over sixty different cultures. Pictographs and petro glyphs carved into the sandstone walls surrounding the site allow visitors a glimpse of times past through the intricate carvings and symbols.