Bighorn Head Gate Trail
in Montana
Drive through the Afterbay Campground past the sign that says “No Camping Beyond this Point,” to the pit toilet at the end of the road. From here a short hike down a gravel path takes you to a quiet area near what remains of the Bighorn Head Gate. The Bighorn Head Gate was part of the original irrigation system used in the upper Bighorn Valley in the early 1900’s before the dam was built in 1965.
The best time of year to view the head gate is during the winter since most of the head gate is underwater during the summer months. This is a great place for bird watching.
- States
- Montana
- Trail type
- National Recreation Area trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Bozeman, MT · 152 mi · ~4 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 45.3157°, -107.9503°
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/bighorn-head-gate-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 Bighorn Head Gate 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
Beaver Pond Nature Trail
2 miles from this trail's centroid
Lockhart Ranch Trail
19 miles from this trail's centroid
Barry’s Island Trail
20 miles from this trail's centroid
Hillsboro Trail
20 miles from this trail's centroid
Upper Layout Creek Trail
22 miles from this trail's centroid
Lower Layout Creek Trail
22 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.