The Bighorn River begins as the
Wind River in the Rocky Mountains at Wind River Lake, near Two Ocean Mountain and the summit of
Togwotee Pass. The Wind River flows southeast receiving the east fork of the Wind River from the north, and enters the
Wind River Basin, flowing past
Dubois and
Johnstown, to
Riverton, where it receives the
Little Wind River. The river then changes direction to the northeast and then the north, flowing into
Boysen Reservoir, which is formed by
Boysen Dam. Below the dam it enters the
Wind River Canyon, where the river narrows and forms many rapids. At the end of the canyon the Wind River widens out in an area called the
Wedding of the Waters where it becomes the Bighorn River and enters the
Bighorn Basin. The Bighorn continues northward, passing through
Thermopolis,
Worland, and
Basin. At
Greybull it receives the
Greybull River, and about north of that confluence it enters
Bighorn Lake, where it is joined by the
Shoshone River. North of the confluence with the Shoshone, the reservoir narrows as the river enters the
Bighorn Canyon, where it crosses into
Montana. At the end of the canyon, the river passes through
Yellowtail Dam and Afterbay Dam. The river turns to the northeast and enters the
Great Plains. At
Hardin the river is joined by the
Little Bighorn River. Approximately downriver from the Little Bighorn, in
Big Horn County, the Bighorn empties into the
Yellowstone. ==Names==