Retrun to HTML version
You should be able to print a hard copy of this text
version with little problem.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Day Hikes
-----------------------------------------------------------
This is by no means a complete listing of
Yellowstone's hiking possibilities. This is just a
listing of a few hikes that friends and I have
enjoyed.
For a complete listing of trails and hikes look at
Mark C. Marschall's book Yellowstone Trails: A
Hiking Guide. ISBN: 0892881976
-----------------------------------------------------------
Old Faithful Area
_________________
Lone Star Geyser
5 miles round trip. Almost level. This is one
of my favorite easy hikes. The trailhead is
just upstream from Kepler Cascades on the
road from Old Faithful to West Thumb. The
hike follows an old road bed along the
Firehole river. Once you are away from the
main park road this is a very nice hike. Lone
Star Geyser erupts from a 11 foot high cone
(third largest in Yellowstone) every 3 hours
to 40 feet. The major eruption lasts about 30
minutes and is preceded by one minor
eruption that lasts about 5 minutes. Ask the
rangers at the Old Faithful visitor center for
more information about the geyser and to
find out if it has been seen recently so you
can plan accordingly. About one half mile
past the geyser is a meadow in which I have
seen wildlife in the past.
Mystic Falls Loop
3 miles round trip. 400 feet elevation gain.
This moderate hike leads through a small
thermal area, then through burned but
re-growing forest, past a 75 feet high
waterfall with a small thermal spring at the
top, then switch backs to an overlook of the
entire Old Faithful area. This hike probably
provides the most variety of any hike this
short in the park. The hike starts at Biscuit
Basin (about 2 miles north of the Old Faithful
clover leaf.) Once at the basin parking lot,
cross the bridge and follow the boardwalk
through the basin. Be sure to take some time
to explore the basin. Jewel Geyser is a
frequent if small performer. It erupts every
10 minutes in a series of burst that reach
between 10 and 25 feet. The trail leaves the
boardwalk near the point furthest from the
parking lot. Follow this trail along the river to
Mystic Falls. Always keep the river on your
left. Once at the falls, you will switchback up
the hill and then onto the observation point.
It is possible to view Old Faithful geyser
from here but it is not the most impressive
view. From the observation point, the trail
leads back to the basin, completing the loop.
Most of this trail passes through forest
burned in the 1988 fires. This is a good trail
to explore how the forest is regenerating
after the fires.
Observation Point Loop
2 miles round trip. This is a relatively easy
loop hike with a 100 foot elevation gain. The
trail leads of the main boardwalk that leads
from Old Faithful geyser to Geyser Hill.
Before taking the trail, check the Old Faithful
prediction so you can see the eruption from
the observation point.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Mammoth Area
____________
Beaver Ponds Loop
5 miles round trip. One of the parks few
short loop trails and one of the lowest in
elevation, this trail is a nice alternative early
in the season when most of the other park
trails are still snow covered. Because of the
lower elevation and warmer climate the trails
in the northern part of the park in general
and around Mammoth in particular tend to
be clear of snow earlier than other trails in
the park. The best times to hike this trail are
in the Spring, May and June, and in the Fall.
From October to June large animals migrate
into the area. Your chances of seeing large
animals at this time of year is very good.
Besides the wildlife, in the Spring, wild
flowers are in bloom and in the Fall the
aspen are changing color. In the summer, the
trail is too hot for me.
The trail starts in a gulch between the Liberty
Cap formation at the base of Mammoth
terraces and a grey stone residence building.
The trail starts by climbing 400 feet in 1/2
mile but then levels out some. It passes
through forest and meadow and, of course,
passes a number of beaver ponds. Beaver
are nocturnal so you probably won't see
them but you should see a good variety of
ducks. The trail returns to Mammoth along a
sage brush plain. Look for Antelope along
this stretch.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Norris Area
___________
Artist Paint Pots
1.0 miles round trip. This is an easy, well
developed trail to some small, colorful and
interesting thermal features. While there is a
small geyser and perpetual spouter here, the
main attractions are the colors and the highly
active but small mud pots. The mudpots are
located at the top of a low hill. The trail head
is 4.5 miles south of Norris Junction at the
southern end of Gibbon Meadows. This is a
nice short hike and can provide a perfect
respite from summer traffic and crowds.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Canyon Area
___________
Clear Lake/Lily Pad Lake Loop
5 to 6 miles round trip. This relatively easy loop
trail is possibly the the ultimate way to first see
and experience the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
The trail is shown on the Grand Canyon Pamphlet
available at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center. There
are two possible starting points for this loop trail.
Both starting points are located on the south side of
the canyon along the South Rim Drive. The longer starts
at the Wapiti trailhead which is located at the picnic
area just across the bridge across the river on the
South Rim Drive. The shorter starts at the trailhead
just across the road from Uncle Tom's Parking Area.
No matter where you start, I recommend taking the loop
in the counter-clockwise direction.
Starting at the Wapiti trailhead, the trail first takes
you into the Hayden Valley, with good views of the
valley. It then leads into the trees where is joins
with the trail from Uncle Tom's Parking Area. The now
joined trails lead to Clear Lake, past some interesting
mudpots and then to a junction that leads past Lily Pad
lake and onto the South Rim Trail. The sign at this last
junction was missing in July 1997 so bring a map and
watch for it.
The trail joins the canyon at the most colorful portion
of the canyon. Once the South Rim Trail is reached,
just follow it up stream until you reach your car. Along
the way you will see the most spectacular portion of the
canyon, including the Lower Falls. If you started from
the Wapiti trailhead, you will also see the Upper Falls
and the rapids above the falls.
Mt. Washburn
6 miles round trip. This is one of the premier
short trails in Yellowstone. Or perhaps I
should say that THESE are two of the
premier trails in Yellowstone. There are two
routes to the lookout on the top of Mt.
Washburn. Both are about the same length
and both climb about 1400 feet to the
10243' summit. The climb is not steep but it
is steady. The northern trail starts at the
Chittenden Road Parking Area. The
southern trail starts at Dunraven Pass (note
this is not the same as the Dunraven Road
Picnic Area which is further south.) The view
from the top of Mt. Washburn encompasses
the entire park but expect it to bee cool or
down right cold at the top. Along the trail
you should see alpine flowers, small and
animals and if you are lucky some very close
views of bighorn sheep.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Lake Area
_________
Storm Point Loop
2 miles round trip. The trail head for this very
easy trail along Yellowstone Lake is located
3.5 miles east of fishing bridge. Water birds
and large animals are often seen in this area.
Unfortunately, the trail sometimes closes due
to bear activity in the area so you might want
to check at the Fishing Bridge Visitor Center
before driving out to take the hike. (The end
of the loop trail vanishes a short distance
before the end of the loop but you can see
the parking lot at this point.)
Elephant Back
4 miles round trip. The Elephant Back trail
climbs 800 feet to the 8600' overlook at the
summit of Elephant Back. The overlook
provides nice views of Yellowstone Lake
and the surrounding area. Moose and deer
frequent the area. Unfortunately, for the
hiker that is, grizzly bears fish in this area in
May and June and at this time the trail is
often closed.