Forest road conditions

With the warm, dry winter, snow is coming off quickly in the Bighorns. However, travel regulations will not change to open routes earlier than stated in the Motor Vehicle Use Map and additional closures may be marked on the ground. 

Big Horn National Forest officials reminded that roads and trails are most vulnerable in the spring because wet conditions make it easier to displace soils and damage the route. If you choose to drive Forest roads, always stay on the designated route, and do not attempt to drive around muddy spots or snowdrifts. This causes additional damage and is illegal. As a reminder, motorized travel in the national forest is allowed only on open, signed, and designated routes. A Bighorn National Forest Motor Vehicle Use Map is the best way to know if you’re on a legal route and if it has a seasonal closure. If you own a mobile device, you can take the Bighorn Motor Vehicle Use map with you. Information about downloading the app and the map is on the Bighorn National Forest website.

Motorized travel is allowed up to 300 feet from the centerline of most motorized routes only for the purposes of firewood gathering, camping, and game retrieval as long as resource damage does not occur.

Current hydrologic outlook, and flood risk information is available from the National Weather Service website at https://www.weather.gov/crh/.  Snowpack information is available from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, https://wcc.sc.egov.usda.gov/reports/UpdateReport.html?report=Wyoming&fo....    

For more information about Forest conditions and to find out if your favorite road, trail, or campground is open, email SM.FS.bighorninfo@usda.gov or call any of the local offices. Follow us on X (@BighornNF) and Facebook (U.S. Forest Service - Bighorn National Forest).