Lower Layout Creek Trail
in Montana
Lower Layout Creek Trail: Easy to Moderate, 3.4 Miles Round Trip The Lower Layout Creek trailhead is located at the cattle guard that marks the northern end of the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range. At the cattle guard, park on either side of the road making sure you are not blocking the flow of traffic. The trail begins by hiking the old two-track road south of Layout Creek.
There are several opportunities to stray from the main trail to view Layout Creek Canyon as well as see the bighorn sheep and horses that use the area. The trail forks a short distance from Bighorn Canyon. Continue following the trail to the right to the bottom of the plateau.
A well-trodden horse trail leads to the top of the plateau and another amazing view.
- States
- Montana
- Trail type
- National Recreation Area trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Bozeman, MT · 141 mi · ~4 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 45.0796°, -108.2597°
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/lower-layout-creek-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 Lower Layout Creek 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
Two Eagles Interpretive Trail
0 miles from this trail's centroid
Upper Layout Creek Trail
0 miles from this trail's centroid
Hillsboro Trail
2 miles from this trail's centroid
Barry’s Island Trail
3 miles from this trail's centroid
Sullivan's Knob Trail
3 miles from this trail's centroid
Lockhart Ranch Trail
4 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.