Hiking Porcupine Falls - Bighorn Mountains

Overview

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( Rated 4.0 / 1 Ratings )

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RATING: Easy/Moderate Hike

LENGTH: 1+ hours (1.2 miles, Overlook 0.2 mile)

MAPS: MEDICINE WHEEL, WY

SEASON: Late spring (when the roads have melted and dried out) through fall.

GEAR: Standard Hiking Gear

WATER: Filterable at the falls, but easier to just bring all you need.

NOTES: The road to the trailhead, when dry, is generally suitable for most vehicles. The last 1/3 of a mile can be rougher but walked if needed.

Thu

37° | 22°

Fri

46° | 23°

Sat

51° | 32°

Sun

47° | 34°

Mon

50° | 33°

Porcupine Falls - Bighorn Mountains

Porcupine Falls is a stunning 75-ish foot waterfall nestled in the Bighorn Mountains of north-central Wyoming, within the Bighorn National Forest. It's one of the more accessible and picturesque waterfalls in the area and makes for a great short hike and swim spot.

The trail to Porcupine Falls descends steeply from a trailhead at the end of a gravel road. It’s a short but steep hike down a series of switchbacks. Many families were visiting the falls on our visit, and our 8-year-old found the hike fun as long as we took quite a few breaks on the way out! Once you reach the bottom, you're rewarded with a postcard-worthy view: a tall, narrow waterfall spilling into a deep, crystal-clear pool. The water can be cold, but it’s popular for cliff-jumping and wading. Be sure to check the depth if jumping. Usually the water is clear, but on our visit, after a recent rain storm, it was quite cloudy and difficult to check depth.

Porcupine Falls coming into view on the hike down. Stunning!

Getting There

The Medicine Wheel trailhead is off of US-14, which runs over the Bighorn Mountains from Lovell on the west side to Dayton/Sheridan on the east side.

From Lovell, head east, taking US-14 at the junction on the east side of town. Follow US-14 for 33.7 miles to a side road on the left (north) side of the road. This is just after entering Sheridan County, and signed Devil's Canyon.

Turn north off the highway onto the good dirt road. This is the Devil's Canyon Rd/Sheep Mountain Rd. Reset your odometer as you turn off the highway. There are many side roads, but stay on the main dirt road as it initially heads north. 13T 276355E 4964944N / 44°48'10"N 107°49'40"W

3.0 miles - Major 4-way junction. Go straight here, heading west. 13T 275995E 4969156N / 44°50'26"N 107°50'03"W

7.4 miles - Spur road on the left. This spur road goes to the trailhead. It is a little rougher than the main road, but not terrible. It should be passable by most when dry. 13T 270172E 4971570N / 44°51'38"N 107°54'32"W

7.7 miles - The road ends at the trailhead in a fairly large parking area. 13T 269859E 4971270N / 44°51'28"N 107°54'46"W

View from the overlook down to Porcupine Falls

Route Description

The trail to Porcupine Falls leaves on the west side of the parking lot. It descends steeply down the hillside with steps, and a few switchbacks en route. The last section to the river is particularly steep.

The falls are stunning! To the right of the falls, across the river, is an old cave or mine that, on our trip, had water flowing out of it as well.

Caution: Be careful around the falls, and especially if you try to climb to the cave/mine. The rocks can be slippery and more difficult coming down than going up. A fall here is a long way from help and could be disastrous.

Side Trip: A trail leaves on the south side of the parking lot that goes over to an overlook of the falls area. You can't see the falls directly from the overlook, but can see the pluge pool at the bottom.