July of '05, we loaded the trailer and set out for Bear Lodge located at Burgess Junction, WY. Burgess Junction is not a town, but rather a location where routes 14A and 14 intersect sixteen miles south of the Montana border. Bear Lodge is approximately one mile east of the junction with an elevation of 8,300. It is nestled directly in the Big Horn Mountains and surrounded by breathtaking vistas. Its main business appears to center around hunting and winter sports, but fortunately the owners allow horse campers.

     The nearby lodge offers a restaurant, gift store, and other amenities. For those in our group who didn't have LQ with showers, campers could pay a small fee to use those at the lodge. RV sites were easily accessible and equipped with electric and water hook-ups nearby. We had to picket the horses, but an abundance of trees scattered throughout the campground allowed us to tie the horses close to our campers. A major convenience was tacking up right at our sites, and we were within minutes of riding out into scenery one would normally see in a National Geographic magazine.

     Camping in a national forest requires weedfree hay. By calling several feed stores in the area ahead of time, we were able to have a load delivered directly to our sites. Most days were pleasantly warm, but thunderheads can form quickly. There are lots of cabins dotting the forest, and we didn't hesitate to take refuge on their porches the two times were were caught in a sudden storm. But just as the storms can rain down on you suddenly, they also tend to pass through just as quickly. Night temps dropped to the point where campfires offered more than just ambiance. Luckily, I'd packed Littleman's winter blanket and needed it to ward off a chill as temps dipped one night to near freezing.

     Although there are plenty of elk in the forest, we never did see any. However, we did ride close to lots of moose which was a particular thrill. We'd been warned about riding too close to moose cows with their calves, so we respected their territory each time we encountered them. The bulls paid us absolutely no attention as we passed by sometimes quite closely. Deer and other small animals were plentiful.

     We liked the riding enough to make a return trip in July '06. I wouldn't hesitate to go back and camp again at Bear Lodge.

     Pros: the riding, Dale--an employee of the lodge who was a great guy and wonderful help, the other friendly RV'ers, the beautiful campsites, meandering walking trails through the surrounding woods near the lodge

     Cons: Things might have improved since then, but we were pretty appalled at the "sewer hook-up" situation. Black water hoses simply dumped into buried metal drums with a 6" hole cut into the top! The holes were scattered about near the RV sites; I covered them with huge rocks, as they posed a danger to horse and human. We also had to sidestep the 1" PVC pipes which laid on the ground connecting the water spigots. Nearest town (Sheridan) an hour away. No phone signal. High prices at the convenience section of the restaurant. Note the price and date on the bologna.