Shell Creek

Summary

Shell Creek Campground is located off the Bighorn Scenic Byway in the Bighorn National Forest and offers a variety of activities such as hiking, fishing, and scenic driving. The campground has accessible single-family sites with a picnic table, campfire ring with grill, vault toilets, drinking water, and trash collection. Wildlife, Shell Falls Visitor Center, nearby lodges, and Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite are attractions in the area.

Overview

Shell Creek Campground is located just off the Bighorn Scenic Byway (U.S. Highway 14) at an elevation of 7,500 feet. The Bighorn National Forest offers a wide variety of activities, including hiking, fishing, scenic driving and a number of historic sites. The administering organization is Gallatin Canyon Campgrounds; e-mail: gccampgrounds13@gmail.com

Recreation

Scenic off-road driving is available on Battle Creek Road to Medicine Lodge Lake, Ranger Creek Road to Shell Reservoir, Hunt Mountain Road and the Burgess Overlook jeep trail.

Diverse hiking opportunities vary from loop trails to treks along creeks and over mountain peaks including access to the Cloud Peak Wilderness. The Adelaide Trail, for hiking and horseback riding is nearby, providing access to Shell Creek and the Shell Creek Trail.

Many creeks, lakes and ponds dot the region, offering some of the best trout fly-fishing in the state.

Facilities

The campground offers single-family sites, most of which are accessible, each equipped with a picnic table and campfire ring with grill. Accessible vault toilets, drinking water and trash collection are provided.

The nearest dump station is 19 miles away at Burgess Junction.

Natural Features

The campground is situated on the banks of Shell Creek in the Bighorn Mountains, where craggy granite peaks rise over 13,000 feet above sea level. The area is forested with a mix of fir, aspen and cottonwood trees. An abundance of wildlife lives in the area.

Nearby Attractions

Shell Falls Visitor Center, at the overlook of Shell Falls, is about 6 miles west. This center offers interpretive trails, scenic views, and educational displays about natural features such as flora and fauna and area history.

Elk View Inn and other nearby lodges offer guided horseback riding and fishing adventures, off-road vehicle rentals and fishing supplies, as well as dining options, showers and general stores.

The Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite, near the town of Shell, is the largest of its kind in the state and one of only a few in the world from the Middle Jurassic Period. The tracks found here are approximately 167 million years old.

Charges & Cancellations

Refunds: Refund requests made through www.recreation.gov will be charged a $10 processing fee. This cancellation processing fee is retained by the reservation service contractor along with the non-refundable reservation fee. All requests for the return of the non-refundable reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee will be declined by the campground concessionaire as they did not receive these fees (these are the fees retained by the reservation contractor, a different entity).