Bighorn Mountains - Southwest
Ten Sleep, WY
The Bighorn Mountains are in north central Wyoming surrounded by plains and sage flats. The mid elevations are heavily forested, the high elevations provide great alpine habitat, and the foothills provide sage flat and riparian habitat. Most of the land is part of the Bighorn National Forest and Cloud Peak Wilderness, but there are private lands scattered throughout.
Specialty Species:
Barrow’s Goldeneye (Year-round)
Northern Goshawk (Year-round)
Sooty Grouse (Year-round)
White-tailed Ptarmigan (Year-round, rare)
Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Summer)
Three-toed Woodpecker (Year-round)
Cordilleran Flycatcher (Summer)
American Pipit (Summer)
MacGillivray’s Warbler (Summer)
Lazuli Bunting (Summer)
Green-tailed Towhee (Summer)
Sage Sparrow (Summer)
Evening Grosbeak (Year-round)
Pine Grosbeak (Year-round)
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (Winter, Spring)
Black Rosy-Finch (Spring, Summer)
Cassin’s Finch (Year-round)
Where to Bird:
- Road 435
- Deer Haven Lodge Road/West Tensleep Lake
- Powder River Pass
After heading into the Bighorn Mountains from Ten Sleep on 16, turn right onto Road 435 to see many riparian species. Be sure to watch Tensleep Creek for American Dippers which use this stretch of the creek for nesting. Look in the undergrowth for species such as MacGillivray’s and Orange-crowned Warblers. Watch the towering walls on either side of you for nesting Golden Eagle and Prairie Falcon, and listen for the constant buzz of the Broad-tailed Hummingbird in the summer. After a few miles the habitat changes from riparian to mostly sage. Watch at the edges of the habitats for Lazuli Bunting and Dusky Flycatcher. Green-tailed Towhee can also be heard very easily but may be more difficult to see. Turn around and return to 16. Follow 16 east until you reach Deer Haven Lodge Road and take a left. Follow this road to where it dead-ends into West Tensleep Lake. During stormy weather in the summer or in early spring or fall, watch for Black and Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches on the road. Also watch for Red-naped Sapsuckers and White-crowned Sparrows on the roadsides. With some luck you might just see a moose to go along with all the birds.
Check all roadside ponds along the road for breeding Barrow’s Goldeneyes. The birding around West Tensleep Lake can also be good with the possibility of breeding Barrow’s Goldeneyes, Northern Goshawk, and Brown Creepers. Take Tyrell Ranger Station Road back towards 16. but take the first right after leaving the meadow where the Tyrell Work Station is located. There is good birding for the next 15 miles from the road. Throughout the entire stretch, Pine Grosbeak and Three-toed Woodpecker are possible. Townsend’s Solitaires and Hermit and Swainson’s Thrushes should also be found. If you hike into some of the sage flats, Sage and Brewer’s Sparrows are easy to find. Green-tailed Towhee and Sage Thrasher also breed in the sage but are a little more difficult to find. Return to 16 and continue east to the highest point on the highway, the Powder River Pass. After parking, hike up the hillside and around alpine to find Rosy-Finches. White-tailed Ptarmigans are most likely in the area but are very difficult to find and may be extirpated at this point.
Hours:
None
Fees:
None
Accessiblity:
Birding can be done mostly by car but getting out and hiking makes finding many species easier. During the winter many roads can be inaccessible but 16 stays open all year.
Trails:
There are many miles of trails in the national forest as well as in Cloud Peak Wilderness.
Non-birding Equipment Needed:
- Insect Repellent in mid June-July
- Sunscreen
Lenght of Visit:
1-3 days, much more time can be spent
Map:
- Available from the National Forest Service for $10
Website:
Directions:
From Ten Sleep: Take 16 east to the Bighorn Mountains.
From Buffalo: Take 16 west to the Bighorn Mountains.
Address:
None Available
Nearby Birding: