Big Hole National Battlefield
On August 9, 1877, gunshots shattered a chilly dawn on a sleeping camp of nımí·pu· (Nez Perce). By the time the smoke cleared on August 10, almost 90 nımí·pu· were dead, along with 31 soldiers and volunteers. Big Hole National Battlefield was created to honor all who were there.
Fire nearby
- WildfireSand Creek
17 mi from the park's reference point · 35,520 acres · 83% contained
- WildfireBobcat Lakes
21 mi from the park's reference point · 10,896 acres · 95% contained
- PrescribedRx D3 Cameron Gaps
22 mi from the park's reference point · 1,100 acres
- WildfireMoose
29 mi from the park's reference point · 6,005 acres · 37% contained
Within 50 miles, as of 2026-10-14. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Check the park's alerts and the managing office before you drive.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
The general public does not need to pay entrance fees, make reservations, or obtain permits for recreational activities such as hiking on trail, attending ranger programs, or enjoying the visitor center. However, anglers must possess a valid Montana state fishing license and must comply with State of Montana sport fishing regulations. Some activities may require a permit.
Hours
| Big Hole National Battlefield | Daily · Sunrise to Sunset |
Hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow | Sunrise to Sunset |
| Nov 26, 2026Thanksgiving | Closed |
| Dec 24, 2026Christmas Eve | Closed |
| Dec 31, 2026New Year's Eve | Closed |
| Jan 1, 2027Christmas Day | Closed |
| Jan 1, 2027New Year's Day | Closed |
When to go
July draws the most visits here and January the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Visitor Center at Big Hole National Battlefield ↗Passport stamp
The park's visitor center offers museum exhibits, a film, and a book sales area. The 26-minute film Weet'uciklitukt: There's No Turning Back, Battle at Big Hole provides an introduction to the Nez Perce Flight of 1877 and the battle that took place at this site.
Explore
Trails and hikes
These are the walks the Park Service lists for Big Hole. Each one opens on the Park Service site.
- Explore the Walking Trails
Explore the battlefield through 3 different trails: the Nez Perce camp trail (1.6 miles round trip with no elevation gain, the Howitzer capture site (0.8 miles round trip with 320ft elevation gain) and the Siege area trail (1.2 miles round trip with…
These are named Forest Service trails on National Forest land within 15 miles of Big Hole. Each one opens on Trailhead Atlas.
Distance is measured to the nearer end of the trail. Every named Forest Service trail on Trailhead Atlas.
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Webcams
- Big Hole National Battlefield Web Camera ↗
- Nez Perce National Historical Park Web Cam - Spalding Site ↗
Camera images load live from the National Park Service and partner agencies
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Guidebooks for Montana's national parks and the Rocky Mountains
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Full checklist: 202 birds, 64 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · Bald Eagle · Barred Owl · Cooper's hawk · Ferruginous hawk · Golden eagle · Great Gray Owl · Great horned owl · Long-eared Owl · Merlin · Mountain Pygmy Owl · Northern Saw-whet Owl · Northern harrier · Peregrine Falcon · Prairie falcon · Red-tailed hawk · Sharp-shinned hawk · Short-eared owl · Swainson's Hawk · Turkey vulture · Western Screech-Owl
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican Bittern · American White Pelican · American wigeon · Barrow's Goldeneye · Black-crowned Night Heron · Blue Goose · Bufflehead · Canada Goose · Common Goldeneye · Common Loon · Common Merganser · Double-crested Cormorant · Great Egret · Great blue heron · Greater Scaup · Greater White-fronted Goose · Green-winged teal · Harlequin Duck · Hooded Merganser · Horned Grebe · Lesser Scaup · Northern pintail · Red-breasted Merganser · Red-necked Grebe · Ring-necked Duck · Ross' Goose · Sandhill crane · Trumpeter Swan · Tundra Swan · Virginia Rail · Western Grebe · Wood Duck
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican Avocet · Baird's Sandpiper · Black Tern · Bonaparte's Gull · California Gull · Caspian Tern · Common Snipe · European Herring Gull · Franklin's Gull · Greater Yellowlegs · Killdeer · Least Sandpiper · Lesser Yellowlegs · Long-billed Curlew · Long-billed Dowitcher · Pectoral Sandpiper · Red-necked Phalarope · Ring-billed Gull · Semipalmated Plover · Solitary sandpiper · Spotted sandpiper · Upland Sandpiper · Wilson's phalarope
Gamebirds & dovesBlue Grouse · Common Pheasant · Mourning Dove · Ruffed grouse · Spruce Grouse · Wild Turkey
WoodpeckersBlack-backed Woodpecker · Downy woodpecker · Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker · Hairy woodpecker · Northern flicker · Pileated Woodpecker · Red-naped Sapsucker · Williamson's sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftsCalliope Hummingbird · Rufous hummingbird · Vaux's Swift · White-throated Swift
Also on the checklistAe'o · American Dipper · American Pipit · American Redstart · American Tree Sparrow · American crow · American goldfinch · American magpie · American robin · Arctic Redpoll · Barn swallow · Belted Kingfisher · Black-capped Chickadee · Black-headed Grosbeak · Blue Jay · Bobolink · Bohemian Waxwing · Brewer's blackbird · Brewer's sparrow · Brown-headed cowbird · Canvasback · Cassin's Finch · Cedar Waxwing · Chipping sparrow · Clark's nutcracker · Clay-colored Sparrow · Common Redpoll · Common nighthawk · Common raven · Common yellowthroat · Cordilleran Flycatcher · Dark-eyed junco · Dusky flycatcher · Eastern kingbird · European starling · Evening grosbeak · Fox sparrow · Golden-crowned Kinglet · Gray Catbird · Gray Partridge · Gray jay · Great Grey Shrike · Gyrfalcon · Hammond's Flycatcher · Harris' Sparrow · Hermit thrush · Horned Lark · House Finch · House Wren · Lapland Longspur · Lark Bunting · Lark Sparrow · Lazuli bunting · Least Flycatcher · Lincoln's sparrow · Loggerhead Shrike · Macgillivray's warbler · Mallard · Marsh Wren · Mountain Chickadee · Mountain bluebird · Northern Rough-winged Swallow · Northern goshawk · Northern waterthrush · Olive-sided Flycatcher · Pine Grosbeak · Pine siskin · Pinyon Jay · Purple Finch · Pygmy Nuthatch · Red Crossbill · Red-breasted nuthatch · Red-winged blackbird · Rock wren · Roughleg · Ruby-crowned kinglet · Sage Thrasher · Sand Martin · Savannah sparrow · Say's Phoebe · Snow Bunting · Song sparrow · Sora · Steller's Jay · Swainson's thrush · Townsend's solitaire · Townsend's warbler · Tree swallow · Two-barred Crossbill · Varied Thrush · Veery · Vesper sparrow · Violet-green Swallow · Warbling vireo · Western Bluebird · Western meadowlark · Western tanager · Western wood-pewee · White-breasted Nuthatch · White-crowned sparrow · White-throated Sparrow · Willow flycatcher · Wilson's warbler · Winter Wren · Yellow-headed Blackbird · Yellow-rumped warbler · brown creeper · cliff swallow
Small mammalsAmerican Beaver · American Pygmy Shrew · Bushy-tailed Woodrat · Columbia Plateau Pocket Mouse · Columbian Ground Squirrel · Common Muskrat · Deer mouse · Dusky Shrew · Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel · Heather Vole · Least chipmunk · Long-tailed vole · Meadow Vole · Montane vole · Mountain Cottontail · North American Water Vole · Northern Flying Squirrel · Northern Pocket Gopher · Northern Water Shrew · Red Squirrel · Red-tailed Chipmunk · SHREW · Sagebrush Vole · Snowshoe Hare · Southern red-backed vole · Vagrant Shrew · Western jumping mouse · White-tailed Jack Rabbit · Yellow-bellied Marmot · Yellow-pine chipmunk · common porcupine · malheur shrew
PredatorsAmerican Badger · American Black Bear · American Marten · American Mink · Bobcat · Canada lynx · Common Otter · Coyote · Cross Fox · Fisher · Gray Wolf · Long-tailed Weasel · Short-tailed Weasel · Striped Skunk · Western Spotted Skunk · Wolverine · common raccoon
Hoofed mammalsEurasian Elk · Mule Deer · Pronghorn · White-tailed Deer · elk
BatsBig Brown Bat · Black Bat · Hoary Bat · Little Brown Bat · Long-eared Myotis · Long-legged Bat · Northern Bat · Townsend's Big-eared Bat · Yuma Bat
Also on the checklistCatamount
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Fishing in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Skiing in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
All 18 activitiesHide
Weather & climate
This region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. By definition, Wisdom is considered a subalpine climate.
Questions people ask
Does Big Hole charge an entrance fee?
No. Big Hole is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Big Hole?
Standard hours are Sunrise to Sunset, every day. Dated exceptions are listed under Hours.
Source: National Park Service
How busy is Big Hole?
40,938 recreation visits in 2025, number 279 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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