Sykes Mountain Trail
in Montana
Sykes Mountain Trail: Hard, 4.6 Miles Round Trip with 1,380 feet elevation gain Sykes Mountain Trail is a rugged hike up a desert mountain that directs the hardy hiker to overlooks of Bighorn Canyon and Horseshoe Bend. This is a favorite hike for many but is less enjoyable during hot summer days. The trail begins at the Horseshoe Bend access road sign.
You may park in the Ranger Station parking area across the road. Follow the trail markers around the hill and into the first drainage until you see a small game trail. At the rockslide, cross to the east side of the drainage.
Here the game trail disappears. Continue to follow the trail markers, making your way upward. At the top, a deep canyon forces you to go east. Follow the ridge to where it begins to bend into a horseshoe.
- States
- Montana
- Trail type
- National Recreation Area trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Bozeman, MT · 143 mi · ~4 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 44.9586°, -108.2896°
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/sykes-mountain-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 Sykes Mountain 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
Mouth of the Canyon Trail
1 miles from this trail's centroid
State Line Trail
3 miles from this trail's centroid
Ranger's Delight Trail
4 miles from this trail's centroid
Sullivan's Knob Trail
6 miles from this trail's centroid
Two Eagles Interpretive Trail
8 miles from this trail's centroid
Lower Layout Creek Trail
8 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.