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Ranger's Delight Hike

Views of Triangular Island of Limestone

brandon · Jul 2nd, 2017

Hiking

Ranger's Delight Hike

Starting Place:

Ranger’s Delight Trailhead

The Ranger’s Delight trail in Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area is a 1 mile long (out-and-back) hike to a rocky viewpoint of Bighorn Canyon. It is gently uphill most of the way, but it is short enough that it only takes a half hour.

Long ago, the Bighorn River meandered through an area now known as the Natural Corrals, but the river eventually eroded the new, more efficient path that exists today. This left a triangular island of limestone which is one of the many great views from the trail.

The Hike

The trail begins across from the parking lot on the west side of Highway 37. From there the trail gradually climbs uphill through the rabbitbrush and towards the canyon. After cresting the hill, there is a junction with a connector trail that leads to the Stateline Trail if you want to make a longer loop out of it. After the junction, the dirt trail turns to limestone and leads to a post marking the main observation point.