State Line Trail
in Montana
State Line Trail: Easy to Moderate, 1.52 Mile Round Trip For a serene view of Bighorn Canyon, follow the trail markers from the trailhead sign just north of the Montana state line. The trail leads to the canyon rim through juniper scrubland above limestone plateaus, culminating in a breathtaking view. You can easily follow the trail markers along the ridge for several hundred feet, enjoying different views of the river-carved canyon with every step.
For more solitude and exploration,take the connecting trail to the Ranger's Delight trail. The connecting trail is 0.37 miles each way.
- States
- Montana
- Trail type
- National Recreation Area trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Bozeman, MT · 143 mi · ~4 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 45.0010°, -108.2657°
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/state-line-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 State Line 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
Ranger's Delight 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
3 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.