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Home › Waters › Wyoming › Middle Fork Powder River
River · Central Wyoming, Johnson County, the Outlaw Cave canyon below the Bighorn Mountains near Barnum · Wyoming

Middle Fork Powder River Fishing Guides

A remote canyon trout stream below the Bighorns, blue-ribbon water reached by a rough road and a steep walk into Outlaw Cave.

A freestone river running through a rocky mountain valley in autumn in the Northern Rockies
Gauge location. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

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About the Middle Fork Powder River

The Middle Fork of the Powder River drains about forty-five square miles off the southern end of the Bighorn Mountains before it cuts into the red rock canyon that anglers know as Outlaw Cave. It is small water by Wyoming standards, but the canyon reach carries a blue-ribbon designation and a reputation that draws people a long way over bad road to reach it. The gauge near Barnum sits at the upper end of that canyon.

What makes the Middle Fork worth the trip is the combination of fish and isolation. Brown trout are the mainstay, with rainbows and some cutthroat mixed in and whitefish through the deeper slots. The canyon water is a sequence of plunge pools, undercut ledges and short riffles, all of it small enough to read at a glance and technical enough to demand a careful approach. The trout are not heavily pressured but they are not naive either, because the low clear water of late summer leaves them very little cover.

The canyon itself is the limiting factor. Getting into it means a rough unpaved road and then a steep descent on foot of several hundred feet, and getting out means climbing back up in the afternoon heat. That filters out most casual visitors and keeps the fishing quality high. Anyone going in should carry more water than seems necessary and plan to be out before dark, because the trail is unpleasant to find in the dark.

Above the canyon the river runs through a mix of BLM and private ground and fishes as a small meadow stream. Below the canyon it leaves the mountains and warms quickly, becoming a prairie river that no longer holds trout. The fishable trout water is therefore a fairly short stretch, and it is worth knowing where the boundaries are before setting out.

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Version 1.0, dated 6 September 2026. Applies to every photograph submitted to GuidedFloats through the contact form, a species page, or the community board.

1. What you give us

By ticking the box on the form you grant Guided Floats, LLC (“GuidedFloats”, “we”) a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, copy, resize, crop and display your photograph on guidedfloats.com, in GuidedFloats’ own social media accounts and mobile apps, and in material that promotes the site itself, in connection with the fish, water or community feature you sent it in for. The license lasts until you withdraw it (section 4).

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5. What we may do

We choose which photos to publish and may decline any submission without giving a reason. We may crop, resize, sharpen or colour-correct a photo for display, and we may remove a photo at any time. We will not alter a photo in a way that misrepresents the fish, the water or you.

6. Your details

We keep your name, email address, the credit name, the water and date you gave us, and the network address the submission came from, with the submission record, as our evidence of this license. We hold that record for as long as the photo is published and for the retention period described in our privacy policy. Location data that your camera or phone embedded in the file is removed before the photo is published.

7. Versions

The version of this license you accepted is stored with your submission and printed with the photo. A later version does not apply to a photo you have already sent unless you agree to it.

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The name shown under the photo. Leave blank to stay anonymous.

Reader photo license v1.0 — the short version:

  • You grant Guided Floats, LLC a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish, resize and crop your photo on guidedfloats.com and in GuidedFloats’ own social posts and apps. You keep the copyright and can use the photo anywhere else.
  • You confirm that you took the photo yourself, that publishing it does not infringe anyone else’s rights, and that anyone recognisable in it (or a parent or guardian, if they are under 18) is happy for it to appear here.
  • Credit is printed beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, using the credit name you give us. Leave it blank and we use your name; write “Anonymous” for no name. Your email address is never published.
  • Withdrawing is one email to hello@guidedfloats.com naming the photo. It comes off the site within 7 days.
Read the full license

Version 1.0, dated 6 September 2026. Applies to every photograph submitted to GuidedFloats through the contact form, a species page, or the community board.

1. What you give us

By ticking the box on the form you grant Guided Floats, LLC (“GuidedFloats”, “we”) a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, copy, resize, crop and display your photograph on guidedfloats.com, in GuidedFloats’ own social media accounts and mobile apps, and in material that promotes the site itself, in connection with the fish, water or community feature you sent it in for. The license lasts until you withdraw it (section 4).

You keep the copyright. The license is not exclusive, so you can use the photo anywhere else and license it to anyone else. We will not sell your photo, license it on to anyone else on its own, or use it in paid advertising for a third party.

2. What you confirm

You confirm that you took the photograph yourself (or otherwise own the rights to it), that you have the right to grant this license, and that publishing the photo does not infringe anyone else’s copyright, privacy or other rights.

If any person is recognisable in the photo, you confirm that they have agreed to its being published here, and that a parent or guardian has agreed on behalf of anyone under 18. Please do not send photographs of other people’s catches, screenshots, or pictures copied from other websites or social media.

3. Credit

We print the credit name you give us beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, and record it as the photo’s creator in the page’s structured data. If you leave the credit blank we use the name you gave us on the form. Write “Anonymous” if you prefer no name at all. Your email address, phone number and the exact spot the photo was taken are never published.

4. Withdrawing the license

You can withdraw the license at any time by emailing hello@guidedfloats.com, or by using the contact form, and telling us which photo you mean. We will remove the photo from guidedfloats.com within 7 days of receiving your message and stop using it in anything new. Copies that are already outside our control — search-engine caches, social posts that have already gone out, printed material already produced — may take longer to disappear or may not be recallable, and we are not responsible for those.

5. What we may do

We choose which photos to publish and may decline any submission without giving a reason. We may crop, resize, sharpen or colour-correct a photo for display, and we may remove a photo at any time. We will not alter a photo in a way that misrepresents the fish, the water or you.

6. Your details

We keep your name, email address, the credit name, the water and date you gave us, and the network address the submission came from, with the submission record, as our evidence of this license. We hold that record for as long as the photo is published and for the retention period described in our privacy policy. Location data that your camera or phone embedded in the file is removed before the photo is published.

7. Versions

The version of this license you accepted is stored with your submission and printed with the photo. A later version does not apply to a photo you have already sent unless you agree to it.

Access

Barnum - the gauge reach and the last settlement on the approach road.
Outlaw Cave campground - the BLM site at the canyon rim and the usual starting point.
Outlaw Cave trail - the steep foot descent from the rim into the canyon water.
Bar C Road - the unpaved approach from Kaycee, rough and impassable when wet.
Kaycee - the nearest town for fuel, supplies and lodging.
Hole in the Wall - the historic country upstream, with BLM ground and walk-in access.
Middle Fork upper meadows - small stream water above the canyon on mixed public and private land.

Seasons

Spring: snowmelt off the Bighorns keeps the canyon high and the approach road soft.
Summer: the main season, with terrestrials and attractor dries in the canyon pools.
Fall: low clear water and brown trout coloring up, with the best weather for the climb.
Winter: the approach road is generally impassable and the canyon is effectively closed by snow.

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Questions

What is the current flow on the Middle Fork Powder River?

As of Sep 17, 4:45 am, the USGS gauge MIDDLE FORK POWDER RIVER NEAR BARNUM, WY reads 4 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.

What species can you catch on the Middle Fork Powder River?

Anglers target Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Mountain Whitefish, Rainbow Trout on the Middle Fork Powder River in Wyoming.

Where can you access the Middle Fork Powder River?

Barnum - the gauge reach and the last settlement on the approach road. Outlaw Cave campground - the BLM site at the canyon rim and the usual starting point. Outlaw Cave trail - the steep foot descent from the rim into the canyon water. Bar C Road - the unpaved approach from Kaycee, rough and impassable when wet. Kaycee - the nearest town for fuel, supplies and lodging. Hole in the Wall - the historic country upstream, with BLM ground and walk-in access. Middle Fork upper meadows - small stream water above the canyon on mixed public and private land.

When is the best time to fish the Middle Fork Powder River?

Spring: snowmelt off the Bighorns keeps the canyon high and the approach road soft. Summer: the main season, with terrestrials and attractor dries in the canyon pools. Fall: low clear water and brown trout coloring up, with the best weather for the climb. Winter: the approach road is generally impassable and the canyon is effectively closed by snow.

Where are the fishing regulations for the Middle Fork Powder River?

Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Wyoming agency site: https://wgfd.wyo.gov/regulations