A gravel road curving into a high mountain valley at first light, the peaks catching the sun.

Forest Service campground

Hunter Campground

Forest Service campground in Bighorn National Forest, Johnson County, Wyoming. 7,834 feet. 12.8 miles from Buffalo.

Managed by
Forest Service Bighorn National Forest
Elevation
7,834 ft USGS elevation model, at the mapped point
Sites
9 9 equestrian non-electric
Longest rig
40 ft The longest vehicle any site is listed for
Hookups
None listed
Reservations
Recreation.gov

Overview

Hunter Trailhead is a campground constructed with the equestrian camper in mind, but available for all users. The campground is located in Johnson Country, Wyoming, just two miles off the Cloud Peak Scenic Byway on Highway 16. The winding drive to the campground travels two miles west of U.S. Highway 16 on Forest Road 19 and is an easily accessible gravel road offering views of wildlife, mountain streams, and abundant wildflowers.

Recreation

Rising between the Powder River and Big Horn Basins, this scenic country offers year round recreation connecting visitors to a land rich in history and solitude. For centuries, the mountain landscape has provided renewal for Native Americans, homesteaders and modern day explorers creating a human connection with this spectacular place.

The Hunter Trailhead provides numerous hiking and horse friendly trails to access front-country, the Cloud Peak Wilderness as well as the Rock Creek Recommended Wilderness Area. The surrounding Bighorn National Forest offers a wide variety of activities, including hiking, fishing, scenic driving, wildlife and a number of historic sites.

Facilities

The non-fee portion of the site provides access to the trailhead and includes parking for 15 single vehicles and 18 vehicles with trailers, and a separate area for Outfitter/Guide parking. Of the 11 sites, nine are reservable, one is used by the host during July/August and the remaining two are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Each campsite has a 20 by 20 foot hardened use pad with a picnic table, utility table, fire ring and an individual livestock corral. The spur for each campsite is 65 feet long by 20 feet wide. Potable water is available at the facility through a pressurized solar water system. The entire facility is ADA (Americans with Disabilities) accessible including the ramp for horse mounting.

Natural Features

No region in Wyoming is provided with a more diverse landscape - from lush grasslands to alpine meadows, from crystal-clear lakes to glacially-carved valleys, from rolling hills to sheer mountain walls. The campground is situated high in the Bighorn Mountains in northern Wyoming, at an elevation of 7,800 feet, so be prepared for all types of weather. A dense forest of lodgepole pine is the dominant vegetative cover.

Nearby Attractions

Tie Hack Reservoir is a 15-minute drive southeast of the campground. The scenic lake offers a great location for canoeing and fishing. Anglers there cast for rainbow, cutthroat, brown and brook trout.

The description, directions and fees are the Forest Service’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.

What people do here

  • camping
  • fishing
  • hiking
  • horseback riding

The land around Hunter Campground

The ringed pin is this campground; the others are its nearest neighbours. Switch on forest roads or BLM routes to see the way in.

Interactive map. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select any point to see which agency manages the land. Arrow keys pan and the plus and minus keys zoom when the map has focus. A list of every state with its share of federal land is on the Explore page.

Map layers

Layers
Base map
Legend

Federal land, by managing agency

  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  • US Forest Service (USFS)
  • National Park Service (NPS)
  • US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
  • Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
  • Department Of Defense (DOD)
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
  • Other Federal
  • State
  • Local
  • Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
  • Alaska Native Allotment

Federal campgrounds, by agency

  • Forest Service
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • National Park Service
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife and others

State and local land (USGS PAD-US)

  • State land
  • County and city land
  • Regional agency or district
  • Land trust or conservancy

Gaps with no tint inside public land are private parcels, often old mining claims and homesteads. They are not open to the public.

Dashed clay lines on the base map are unpaved tracks from OpenStreetMap. They show what exists on the ground, not what is legal to drive.

Select any point to see who manages the land.

Boundaries are approximate and land status changes. This map is a planning aid, not a survey or a statement of access. Confirm routes, closures and camping rules with the managing office.

Source: Recreation Information Database (Recreation.gov), record updated February 25, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.