Overview
Owen Creek Campground is located along the Bighorn Scenic Byway (U.S. Highway 14) near the Burgess Overlook and Woodrock areas at an elevation of 8,400 feet. The Bighorn National Forest offers a wide variety of activities, including hiking, fishing, scenic driving and a number of historic sites. The administering organization is Rustic Freedom / Gallatin Canyon Campgrounds; e-mail: [email protected]
Recreation
Off-road vehicle trails, scenic jeep roads, hiking, fishing and canoeing are available in the surrounding area. Diverse hikes vary from loop trails to treks along creeks and over mountain peaks; many trails access the Cloud Peak Wilderness.
Nearby Sibley Lake is open to non-motorized craft and offers an accessible fishing dock on the shoreline. Anglers fish for rainbow, brown and brook trout.
Facilities
The campground offers single-family sites each equipped with a picnic table and campfire ring with grill. Accessible vault toilets, drinking water and trash collection are provided.
Natural Features
The campground is situated on the banks of Owen Creek in the Bighorn Mountains, where craggy granite peaks rise over 13,000 feet above sea level. The area is forested with a mix of pine and aspen trees. An abundance of wildlife lives in the area.
Nearby Attractions
Shell Falls Visitor Center, at the overlook of Shell Falls, is about 22 miles southwest. This center offers interpretive trails, scenic views, and educational displays about natural features such as flora and fauna and area history.
Bear Lodge, Elk View Inn and other nearby lodges provide guided horseback riding and fishing adventures, off-road vehicle rentals and fishing supplies, as well as dining options, showers and general stores.
The Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite, near the town of Shell, is the largest of its kind in the state and one of only a few in the world from the Middle Jurassic Period. The tracks found here are approximately 167 million years old.
The description, directions and fees are the Forest Service’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.
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
Road
Primitive Road
Road
Primitive Road
Trail
Roads open to all Vehicles, Yearlong
Roads open to all Vehicles, Seasonal
Roads open to highway legal vehicles only, Yearlong
Roads open to highway legal vehicles only, Seasonal
Special Designation, Yearlong
Special Designation, Seasonal
Trails open to all vehicles, Yearlong
Trails open to all vehicles, Seasonal
Trails open to vehicles 50" or less in width, Yearlong
Trails open to vehicles 50" or less in width, Seasonal
Trails open to motorcycles, Yearlong
Trails open to motorcycles, Seasonal
Special Designation, Seasonal
Trails Open to Wheeled Vehicles Only < 50" in Width, Yearlong
Trails Open to Wheeled Vehicles Only < 50" or Less in Width, Seasonal
Wilderness Area
Wilderness Study Area