Chaotic behavior in the rf‐biased Josephson junction is studied through digital simulations of the Steward–McCumber model. Chaotic states are characterized by Poincare sections, Liapunov exponents, and power spectra. Models are presented which explain some features of the chaotic spectra. The parameter range over which chaotic behavior occurs is determined empirically for a broad range of dc bias, rf bias, and hysteresis parameters for a fixed rf frequency. It is shown that chaos does not occur if either the dc bias or the rf bias is very large. An attempt is made to explain the boundaries of the chaotic region in terms of simple models for chaotic behavior.