Hiking and Backpacking in Yellowstone
Over 1000 miles of trails await you!
How to Get There The falls are located behind Biscuit Basin, near the Old Faithful Area. After about .5 miles, the trail takes a fork. The left-hand fork goes directly to Mystic Falls and is about one mile long. It is an easy hike. The right-hand fork also goes to the Falls, but is nearly Read More …
Trailhead #1: Chittenden Road Parking Area, 8.7 miles (13.9 km) Trailhead #2: Dunraven Pass Parking Area, 13.6 miles south of Tower Junction Distance: 6 miles (9.6 km) roundtrip Level of difficulty: Moderately strenuous One of the most popular hikes in Yellowstone, the Mt. Washburn trail offers expansive views of the eastern side of the park Read More …
Trailhead: 5 miles south of Norris Junction on the Norris-Madison road, just after Gibbon River Bridge Distance: 2 miles (3 km) Level of Difficulty: Difficult (don’t be fooled by the initial easy going) This is a short but steep hike which is rated as difficult. Sometimes a walking stick left by previous visitors can be Read More …
Trailhead: North of Alum Creek pullout, 4 miles south of Canyon Junction Distance: 21 miles one way Level of Difficulty: Moderately strenuous if you do the entire hike in one day Mary Mountain has two trailheads: the eastern trail (noted above) climbs gradually up over Mary Mountain and the park’s Central Plateau to the Nez Read More …
Trailhead: Old Faithful Lodge cabin area Distance: 6.8 miles (5.3 km) roundtrip Level of Difficulty: Moderate This trail climbs through lodgepole pine forest, some of which was burned in the 1988 fires, and along meadows and several rocky slopes before reaching the shores of Mallard Lake, a nice little scenic lake. If you are staying Read More …
Trailhead: Behind Roosevelt Lodge Distance: 4 miles (6.4 km) roundtrip Level of difficulty: Moderately strenuous This moderately strenuous trail starts behind Roosevelt Lodge (Tower Junction) and goes into the forested hillside and climbs some 300 feet before coming to a fork. Take the west fork, which leads to Lost Lake in about a quarter of Read More …
Trailhead: 3.5 miles SE of the Old Faithful area, at Kepler Cascades parking area Distance: 5 miles (8 km) roundtrip Level of Difficulty: Easy One of the easiest five mile roundtrip hikes in Yellowstone, this mostly level trail follows an old service road along the Firehole River through unburned forests of lodgepole pine. Lone Star Read More …
Trailhead: 3.5 miles east of Norris on the Norris-Canyon road Distance: 0.3 miles (0.5 km) Level of Difficulty: Easy; handicapped accessible backcountry site on lake Ice Lake is a beautiful, small lake tucked in a thick lodgepole pine forest. Much of the area was heavily burned in the fires of 1988. There is a network Read More …
Trailhead: 1 mile (1 km) south of Beaver Lake on the Mammoth-Norris road Distance: 4 miles (6 km) roundtrip Level of difficulty: Moderate with some short, steep climbs and rolling terrain. Note: A log jam crossing is required to continue past Grizzly Lake. This trail traverses through an area that not only was burned in Read More …
Trailhead: 3.5 miles (5.6 km) west of Canyon Junction on the Norris-Canyon Road Distance: 6 miles (9.7 km) roundtrip Level of Difficulty: Moderately easy Mainly used by fishermen and backpackers, this trail goes to Grebe Lake, which (along with Wolf Lake) make up the headwaters of the Gibbon River system. The lake is home to Read More …