Beaver Pond Nature Trail
in Montana
Beaver Pond NatureTrail: Moderate, 2.6 Mile Round Trip Begin hiking at the west end of the sidewalk at the Afterbay Contact Station. Travel across the yucca flats to the ridge above Lime Kiln Creek. Below, the creek is covered with gnawed trees and other building materials.
This is one construction site you will want to take a closer look at. The trail begins to wind down the steep hillside to the bottom, where you can sit among the beaver ponds and marvel at these creatures’ ingenuity. If you are looking for a longer hike, cross the bridge and make your way along the opposite plateau.
The views of the Afterbay are yours alone to enjoy. The trail continues to the service road. You come to a “T” in the road. Take the right to end your hike at the Afterbay Campground for a total of 1.3 miles each way.
- States
- Montana
- Trail type
- National Recreation Area trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Bozeman, MT · 153 mi · ~4 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 45.3097°, -107.9205°
About Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
This trail is inside Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, a national recreation area managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/beaver-pond-nature-trail.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/bica/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Beaver Pond Nature Trail and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Other trails within 50 miles
Bighorn Head Gate Trail
2 miles from this trail's centroid
Lockhart Ranch Trail
20 miles from this trail's centroid
Barry’s Island Trail
20 miles from this trail's centroid
Hillsboro Trail
21 miles from this trail's centroid
Upper Layout Creek Trail
23 miles from this trail's centroid
Lower Layout Creek Trail
23 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.