Bear Canyon Hike

The drive from Billings to the mouth of Bear Canyon takes about 1 ½ hour.  Download Printable Driving Directions.

Drive to Warren MT, 21 miles south of Bridger on Highway 310.  (It is 20 miles south of the junction of highways 310 and 72 from Belfry and Red Lodge.)   There is no town at Warren. Look for the Montana Limestone Company sign.  Warren is where they load limestone from their quarry at the southwest corner of Big Pryor Mountain onto the railroad cars.  Limestone mining threatens to slowly “eat” the Pryors.

A. 0.0 miles: Warren MT. Turn east on Helt road (also called Quarry Rd.) toward the Pryors.  If you are traveling south on highway 310 it is a left turn.  Follow this paved road for 2.7 miles to a junction and road sign. The BLM sign says “Bear Canyon Road 3.5”  (The paved road continues as Quarry Rd.)

B. 2.7 miles: Helt Rd. – Quarry Rd. Junction. Turn right to continue on Helt Rd. which is now narrower and gravel. Go 3.5 miles (past a BLM sign for Stockman Trail) to a BLM sign for  Bear Canyon Road.

C. 6.2 miles: Bear Canyon Road. Turn left. It is half a mile to the mouth of Bear Canyon.  Most of this road is OK for highway vehicles.  The last 250 yds. is rocky.  Some people might park and walk that short section.

D. 6.7 miles: Mouth of Bear Canyon. Park and begin hike.

It is possible to drive farther into the canyon, but few people would want to take highway vehicles over the several very rough rocky sections.  You came to hike.

Contact the Bureau of Land Management:

Jim Sparks, Field Manager
Email: jim_sparks@BLM.gov
Phone: (406) 896-5013

Snail Mail:
Jim Sparks, Field Manager
BLM – Billings Field Office
5001 Southgate Drive
Billings, MT 59102

Bear Canyon Ridge Hike

C.   1.9 miles:  Fence and Gate. At this boundary you leave BLM land and enter Custer National Forest.  There is a sign indicating that this is USFS Trail # 2492.

D.   2.1 miles:  Junction. Trail #24922 is an 0.2 mile (one way) spur to a very nice viewpoint overlooking lower Bear Canyon.   The ridge hike continues on trail #2492.  As you continue to climb the ecosystem changes gradually but significantly.  Sagebrush decreases. Some limber pine can be seen, and Douglas fir eventually becomes abundant.  Lovell, Cowley and most of Wyoming can be seen as the view increases with elevation.  The Bighorn Mountains are visible to the southeast.

E.   3.1 miles: Junction.  Take the right fork, trail #2814.  The left fork is #2492.  Trail #2814 continues to climb through a timbered draw.  In about half a mile, with a turn to the left,  it breaks out of the draw, out of the trees and enters open grassland.   About half a mile farther the trail levels on the rim overlooking the west fork of Bear Canyon to the right (east).  This is Upper Bear Canyon Overlook.

F.   4.1 miles:  Upper Bear Canyon Overlook. Pick your own spot to stop, sit and enjoy the view of much of the south slope of Big Pryor Mountain both above and below you.  The highest point on the ridge to the east is the peak of Red Pryor Mountain.  The Absarokee and Beartooth Mountains can be seen just over the rise to the west.  Depending on the time of year wildflowers may be on display.  You may see arrow-leaf balsamroot, sky-blue flax, white sego lilies and others.  The elevation here is nearly 6700 ft., a total elevation gain of about 1600 ft from the mouth of Bear Canyon.

Return Hike Options:

You can return the way you came. Or if you have time and energy continue farther north first.  Another alternative is to walk off-trail 1/3 mile toward the west across open, but rocky, grassland.  After climbing a short and gentle rise it is downhill to the easily visible trail #2492. (Or continue north ½ mile on #2814 to #24923 which goes left to #2492.) Follow trail #2492 left (south) about a mile back to the junction where you left it on trail #2184.  Then follow #2492 back to your vehicle. This loop alternative gives views of the Absarokee and Beartooth Mountains to the west.

Bear Canyon Creek Hike with optional climb to east Canyon Rim Viewpoint.
Follow the right fork (Junction B), past the log barrier fence, into the bottom of the canyon.

Following the right fork in the canyon bottom, the canyon narrows, the vegetation changes becomes noticeably more lush. Cottonwood and ash trees, and clematis vines become abundant. In the spring the creek is often running.  It is a great place to look for birds, butterflies, and wildflowers.

People familiar with this route before the massive Spring 2011 flooding will be amazed by the changes. The first half mile to a fence was a motor-legal route on BLM land. The next mile on USFS land had been driven regularly, but illegally, for years. Much of the road has been washed out and replaced by newly cut rocky stream channels. Although BLM has closed the road at the junction with signs and log barriers, it is still open for hiking, and it is a pleasure to know that beyond the barriers there will be no motorized disruptions.

Noxious Weeds: Unfortunately there is a significant infestation of invasive weeds in the bottom of Bear Canyon. Be careful not to collect and transport the “Velcro” seeds of houndstongue and burdock beyond their current infestations. Usually you can avoid the plants, but check your clothes frequently and remove any seeds. Carry them out to dispose.

The hiking is somewhat rougher than before the flood, but still mostly fairly easy. The trail is sometimes overgrown with grass and other vegetation. Other times it simply follows the rocky stream bottom. Occasionally it is necessary to scramble up or down the sides of a stream channel. From mid-summer to fall these channels should be dry. It remains to be seen whether these new channels will carry water in the spring.

C.   1.9 miles: Fence and Gate.  About ½ mile from the junction (B) leaving the “ridge” hike and the log barrier, there is a fence and gate. There is an “Unauthorized Trail” sign. Read the fine print. It only applies to motor vehicles, which no longer can get this far anyway. Hikers are welcome to continue. The fence is the boundary between BLM land to the south and USFS land to the north.

D. 2.3 miles: Alternative trail to East Rim Viewpoint.

0.4 miles past the BLM/USFS boundary gate (C) there is an old constructed trail that switchbacks up the hill to the east canyon rim. There is no trail junction. You must push through tall sagebrush for a couple hundred feet from the gravel streambed/trail in the canyon bottom to the start of the switchback trail at the base of the slope. Look for the scene in the photo. The red arrow indicates a visible section of the trail sloping up and to the right. (Photo taken from about GPS coordinates: 45°05.536′ N 108°30.961′ W)

It is about 0.3 mile and 250 ft elevation gain to the rim on a surprisingly good, but little used, trail. The views on the way up, and from the top, are well worth the climb.

Once on top the trail ends, and the open country invites exploration, but be careful not to “lose” the trail back down.

E.   2.7 miles: Fork in Canyon.

0.8 mile past the USFS boundary fence there is a major fork in Bear Canyon. The left (west) fork continues north. The trail into the west fork which never went far is completely washed out. The right (main) fork turns to the east for ¾ of a mile and then turns north again. The right (main) fork trail continues for a little farther, but soon fades into bushwhacking – especially after the 2011 flood. The total elevation gain from the mouth of Bear Canyon to this fork in the Canyon is about 450 ft.

Contact Custer National Forest:

Traute Parrie, Beartooth District Ranger
Email: tparrie@fs.fed.us
Phone: (406) 446-2103

Snail Mail:
Traute Parrie, District Ranger
Beartooth Ranger District, Custer National Forest
6811 Hwy. 212 S.
HC 49, Box 3420
Red Lodge MT 59068

or

Mary Erickson, Forest Supervisor
Custer National Forest
1310 Main Street
Billings, MT 59105