Bighorn Basin - Definition and Overview

The Bighorn Basin in Wyoming

The Bighorn Basin is a plateau region, approximately 100 mi (160 km) wide, in north central Wyoming in the United States. It is bounded by the Absaroka Range on the west, the Bighorn Mountains on the east, and the Owl Creek Mountains and Bridger Mountains on the south. It is drained to the north by tributaries of the Bighorn River, which enters the basin from the south, through a gap between the Owl Creek and Bridger Mountains, as the Wind River, and becomes the Bighorn as it enters the basin. The region is semi-arid, receiving only 6-10 in (15-25 cm) or rain annually.

The basin was explored by John Colter in 1807. It was later transvered by the Bridger Trail, which was blazed in 1864 by Jim Bridger to connect the Oregon Trail to the south with Montana. The route was important alternative to the Bozeman Trail, which had crossed the Powder River Country, but had been closed to white settlers following Red Cloud's War.

The largest cities in the basin include the Wyoming towns of Thermopolis, Worland, and Powell. Sugar beets are grown on irrigated farms in the region.