Ranger's Delight Trail
in Montana
Ranger's Delight: Easy to Moderate, 0.66 Miles Round Trip Park in the designated area on the west side of the park road one-half mile north of the Montana state line. The trail begins on the east side of the road on the lower north edge of the draw. While following the faint road cut, it is easy to feel like the only person that has ever hiked this trail.
Continue to follow the trail through the saddle and toward the canyon. At the cut-off fence post and trail marker, you can turn left and hike toward the rim. This is the end of the trail. Walking to the right will bring you into the bend of the river and give unique views of the canyon.
Walking to the left, you have a good view of the ledge below with a sheep trail that treacherously traces the canyon rim. For more solitude and exploration go back to the cut-off fence post and continue to follow the road cut and trail markers to the State Line trail. The connecting trail is 0.37 miles each way.
- States
- Montana
- Trail type
- National Recreation Area trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Bozeman, MT · 142 mi · ~4 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 45.0091°, -108.2687°
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/ranger-s-delight-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 Ranger's Delight 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
State Line Trail
1 miles from this trail's centroid
Sullivan's Knob Trail
2 miles from this trail's centroid
Mouth of the Canyon Trail
3 miles from this trail's centroid
Sykes Mountain Trail
4 miles from this trail's centroid
Two Eagles Interpretive Trail
5 miles from this trail's centroid
Lower Layout Creek Trail
5 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.