Bighorn Mountains Medicine Wheel Road

Forest Road 12 climbs from Shell Creek to the Medicine Wheel National Historic Landmark, a 700-year-old stone circle built by Plains tribes at 9,642 feet elevation. This isn’t just another scenic drive—you’re accessing one of the most sacred Native American sites in North America via a gnarly mountain road that’ll test your rig’s cooling system and your nerve on blind switchbacks. The final approach requires hiking the last 1.5 miles, but getting there involves 20 miles of serious mountain driving through country where elk outnumber people 100 to 1.

Moderate to Difficult depending on conditions, requiring high-clearance 4WD for the upper sections. Snow closes the road from October through June, and even summer weather can turn violent fast above treeline. No facilities, no cell service, and you’ll need to carry extra water and emergency gear. What makes it worthwhile is the spiritual weight of the place—standing where countless generations of Native Americans made medicine, with the entire Bighorn Basin spread out 4,000 feet below.