big-hole | MT | Find park - Future Camping

Multiple tepee poles and a river are silhouetted against a dawn sky.

Today tepee poles stand sentinel at the site of August 9th, 1877 dawn attack at the Big Hole.

Blue camas flowers dot a green field with tepee poles in the background.

The Nez Perce chose their camp site in the Big Hole in part due to the Camas, whose roots they gathered prior to the August 9th attack.

a cannon overlooks a valley and distant mountains

Nez Perce warriors captured and dismantled the Mountain Howitzer cannon before the US army could use it effectively at the Battle of the Big Hole.

cross country skis rest against a large granite monument on a snowy day.

In 1883 the United States Government erected this monument in honor of the soldiers and volunteers that served and died at the 1877 Battle of the Big Hole.

Stone carving of a Nez Perce Warrior's head in full regalia.

This monument, erected on the Big Hole Battlefield in 1928, reads; "To the everlasting memory of the brave warriors Chief Joseph's Band who fought on these grounds in the Nez Perce War of 1877."

Three large stone monuments and four interpretive signs overlook a series of low hills.

Physical Address:

16425 Highway 43 West

Wisdom, MT 59761

Mailing Address:

P.O. Box 237

Wisdom, MT 59761

contact-details

Phone Number: 4066893155 Voice

Email Address: biho_visitor_information@nps.gov
Description:

Fees

Entrance Fees

Entrance Passes

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 nimí·pu· were dead, along with 31 soldiers and volunteers. Big Hole National Battlefield was created to honor all who were there.

park designation:National Battlefield

Directions:

Big Hole National Battlefield is located on Highway 43 ten miles west of the town of Wisdom in southwestern Montana. Bear Paw Battlefield is located on Route 240 sixteen miles south of the town of Chinook in north-central Montana.

For detailed directions, please visit this link.

Directions

Operating Hours:

Big Hole National Battlefield

The grounds and trails at Big Hole National Battlefield are open daily from sunrise to sunset.

Exceptions:

Thanksgiving (November 27, 2025 - November 27, 2025)

Christmas Eve (December 24, 2025 - December 24, 2025)

New Year's Eve (December 31, 2025 - December 31, 2025)

Christmas Day (January 1, 2026 - January 1, 2026)

New Year's Day (January 1, 2026 - January 1, 2026)

Weather Information:

This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. Wisdom has a humid continental climate.