Wyoming · Trail 004

Dry Fork Ridge

Dry Fork Ridge Trail is a 10.3-mile trail in Bighorn National Forest, Wyoming. The Forest Service rates it trail class 3, developed. It is open to hiking, horse and pack stock and mountain biking.

Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Bighorn National Forest official page carries current alerts and closure orders.

Map

One end Other endLine simplified to about 100 metres. Basemap from the USGS National Map.

One end44.9807° N, 107.6464° W · Directions ↗
Other end44.8882° N, 107.5817° W · Directions ↗

The ends are the two ends of the longest connected chain of segments. The record does not say which is the usual start. The trail is recorded as 5 segments.

The trail

Length10.3 miles
Trail class3, developed
Typeland trail
Surfacenative material
Typical grade12-20 percent
Typical tread width18-24 inches
Motor vehiclesClosed to all motorized use year-round
AccessibilityNot evaluated
Trail numbers004
ForestBighorn National Forest (unit 0202)
StatesWyoming
Detail publishedmanagement level, with uses

Values are the set across all segments. Class 1 is minimally developed and class 5 is fully developed. Grade and width are the forest's typical values, not measured extremes.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Dry Fork Ridge Trail10°20°30°40°50°60°January: 1.42 inches of precipitationFebruary: 1.67 inches of precipitationMarch: 2.08 inches of precipitationApril: 2.79 inches of precipitationMay: 3.50 inches of precipitationJune: 2.41 inches of precipitationJuly: 1.57 inches of precipitationAugust: 1.20 inches of precipitationSeptember: 2.02 inches of precipitationOctober: 2.30 inches of precipitationNovember: 1.62 inches of precipitationDecember: 1.54 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 18.9°F averageFebruary: 18.1°F averageMarch: 23.8°F averageApril: 29.4°F averageMay: 38.9°F averageJune: 48.4°F averageJuly: 56.4°F averageAugust: 55.4°F averageSeptember: 46.9°F averageOctober: 34.6°F averageNovember: 25.2°F averageDecember: 18.4°F average0 in1 in2 in3 in4 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Burgess Junction, 12 miles from the trail midpoint at 8,060 feet, station USC00481220 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 24 inches a year.

Allowed uses

HikingAllowed year-round
Horse and pack stockAllowed 06/15 to 11/15 (month/day)
Mountain bikingAllowed year-round

A use is listed when the Forest Service records it as managed, accepted or discouraged on any segment. Discouraged still means legal. Uses marked restricted are left out. Where the forest publishes a Motor Vehicle Use Map, that map governs motorized use.

Trailheads

Little Bighorn East TH
No season published
No Camping, Pack It In, Pack It Out
under 0.1 mi

Distance is from the point to the nearest part of the trail line. Season text is what the forest wrote and is often a season name rather than a date.

Trails nearby

Camping nearby

No federal campground is recorded within five miles of the trail. Dispersed camping is allowed on most National Forest land outside posted closures. The forest office has the current rules.

Fire nearby

  • Wildfire
    Border

    17 mi from the trail midpoint · 100 acres

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Closure orders are on the forest's official page.

Explore

Guidebooks for Wyoming

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Hiking Wyoming's Wind River Range
    Ben Adkison, 2023
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking Wyoming's Bighorn Mountains
    Ken (Naturalist) Keffer, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking Grand Teton National Park
    Bill Schneider, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Top Trails: Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks
    Andrew Dean Nystrom, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best Easy Day Hikes Jackson Hole
    Dina Mishev, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How long is the Dry Fork Ridge Trail?

The Forest Service records 10.3 miles under this name in Bighorn National Forest, the sum of 5 segments.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

What is allowed on the Dry Fork Ridge Trail?

Hiking, horse and pack stock and mountain biking are allowed. The trail is closed to motor vehicles year-round. Some uses are seasonal. The allowed uses section lists the dates.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Where does the Dry Fork Ridge Trail start?

The line begins at 44.9807° N, 107.6464° W and ends at 44.8882° N, 107.5817° W. The nearest recorded trailhead is Little Bighorn East TH, under 0.1 miles from the line. The record does not say which end is the usual start.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Is the Dry Fork Ridge Trail in a wilderness area?

No. The trail line does not cross any polygon in the National Wilderness Preservation System layer.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Where can I camp near the Dry Fork Ridge Trail?

No federal campground is recorded within five miles of the trail. The camping section covers dispersed camping, which most National Forest land allows.

Source: Bighorn National Forest official page

How developed is the Dry Fork Ridge Trail?

Trail class 3, which the Forest Service describes as developed. Class 1 is a minimal, unimproved route and class 5 is fully developed, often paved.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

How steep and how wide is the Dry Fork Ridge Trail?

The typical grade is 12-20 percent. The typical tread is 18-24 inches wide.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Who manages the Dry Fork Ridge Trail?

Bighorn National Forest, Forest Service unit 0202. The trail is in Wyoming.

Source: Bighorn National Forest official page

Is there a fire near the Dry Fork Ridge Trail?

The interagency feed shows 1 active incident within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Border at 17 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.

Source: Fire nearby

Source

This page is built from 5 segments named Dry Fork Ridge in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0202. Wilderness overlap is tested against the National Wilderness Preservation System layer from Wilderness Connect. Trailheads and Forest Service campgrounds come from the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer. Data refreshed November 1, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.