Floating the Bighorn River

Photo Use Guidelines

The Bighorn River provides an easy float. Flowing through the open prairie of Montana, it provides a pleasant and scenic float that provides a landscape much different than many other rivers in Montana.

The upper stretch of the river has a moderately fast current, depending on river flows. A floater will encounter no rapids on the Bighorn River, although several diversion dams exist.

Once the Bighorn River enters the reservation, currents slow down and the river turns into primarily a warm water fishery. A diversion dam will also be encountered just upstream from Two Leggins Fishing Access Site as well as further downstream.

The Bighorn River emerges from the reservation near the town of Hardin. From here down to its confluence with the Yellowstone River, the Bighorn flows very slowly. As it flows through the high plains country of Montana, high wind can pose problems for rafters. A canoe is highly recommended to negotiate the slow moving, frequently windy water. Two more diversion dams will also be found on the lower stretch of this section.

Featured Pontoon Boat

Classic Accessories Cimarron Pontoon Boat : Launch yourself into the world of float fishing in the full-featured Cimarron - an affordable pontoon boat. The heavy-duty 8-ft. pontoons have abrasion resistant PVC bottoms and tough nylon tops... ...$249.99 More Information at Cabela's See More Pontoon Boats

Selected River Miles

Listed below are selected river miles for the Bighorn River in Montana. You can get more detailed information about some of these fishing access spots at the Montana FWP Website.

Afterbay Dam: 87
Afterbay Access Site: 84
Three Mile Access Site: 81
Bighorn FAS: 71.7
St. Xavier Bridge Access Site: 68
Mallards Landing FAS: 62.9
Two Leggins FAS: 52
Arapooish FAS: 40.7
Grant Marsh FAS: 31.7
General Custer FAS: 24.2
Manual Lisa FAS: 1.8
Confluence with Yellowstone River: 0

Next Page : Photographs of the Bighorn River

Top of Page