These pictures were taken near the Big Horn Canyon National Recreation Area near Fort Smith, Montana. They were taken after climbing 5.5 miles on my bicycle from the bottom of the Yellowtail Dam to the reservoir that is held back by the dam. This is a unique area. It is located about 70 miles south of Billings. Although it is definitely not the most scenic area of Montana it still deserves a side trip from Interstate 90. You won't see many people or houses on this climb (or drive, if you decide to climb it the wimpy way), which is the exact reason why you should go. As you can see from the photos there are no trees and on a hot day you can feel the sun pressing on you with all of its force. After parking my bicycle I realized how clear the day was. The phrases "you can see forever" and "big-sky country" became much more defined. I enjoyed sharing the experience and the road with the lone calf that looked at me as if thinking "what the hell are you doing here?"
If you decide to do this climb on a bicycle be prepared for a steep grade and bring lots of water. There are 8-10 switchbacks that are real killers. It took about 45 minutes to complete the climb and about 8 minutes for the decent.
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