Wolf Lake
The Wolf Lake Trail is a moderate 4 mile hike to a serene glacial lake on the Solfatara Plateau in Yellowstone National Park.
Yellowstone National Park is home to some of the most extraordinary and other-worldly hiking trails in the world. Since it’s situated on top of a supervolcano, many trails feature some kind of thermal features as a result of the thinner crust under the park, with no two features appearing the same. Many of Yellowstone’s more popular trails are easily accessible and easily walkable boardwalks that wind people safely around the thermal features. These include walks around the Upper, Midway, and Lower Geyser Basins, Mud Volcano, and Artist Paint Pots. A few trails even show off some of the park’s natural beauty, such as multiple trails around the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River and Specimen Ridge. Hundreds of more miles of trails bring visitors deep into the wilderness, some areas being the most remote in the Lower 48. With over 1,000 miles of trails, Yellowstone has something for everyone to experience something truly unique.
Must Do Hikes
Easy: Lone Star Geyser
Moderate: Point Sublime
Strenuous: Heart Lake
The Wolf Lake Trail is a moderate 4 mile hike to a serene glacial lake on the Solfatara Plateau in Yellowstone National Park.
Hiking to Ice Lake is an easy 0.25-1.3 mile hike in Yellowstone National Park, depending on how much of the lake you want to see.
The Lewis River Channel – Dogshead Loop combines two trails to create an 11.3 hike, passing two of Yellowstone National Park’s largest three lakes along the way.
The Lewis River Channel Trail is a moderate 6.4 mile hike along Lewis Lake and up the headwaters of the Lewis River in Yellowstone National Park.
The Dogshead Trail is an easy 4.75 mile trail that brings hikers to the shores of Shoshone Lake in Yellowstone National Park.
The Brink of Lower Falls is a moderate 1 mile round-trip hike to the brink of the gorgeous Lower Falls in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River.
The Elephant Back Mountain Trail is a moderate 4.25 mile hike that climbs to an overlook above Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone National Park.
The Storm Point Trail is an easy 3 mile lollipop loop that brings hikers to a beautiful point along the shores of Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone National Park.
The Pelican Creek Nature Trail is an easy 0.8 mile lollipop loop in Yellowstone National Park that winds along wetlands and the shores of Yellowstone Lake.
Goose Lake is an easy 2.25 mile hike along the Fairy Falls Trail in Yellowstone National Park to a gorgeous glacial lake.
The loop from Fairy Falls to Goose Lake is an easy 8.6 mile hike in Yellowstone National Park that also includes a quick 0.8 mile spur to Imperial Geyser.
The Imperial Geyser Trail is an easy 3.25 mile hike in Yellowstone National Park that features a stunning waterfall before reaching a backcountry geyser.
The Fairy Falls Trail is an easy 2.5 mile hike that brings hikers to a stunning 200 foot waterfall behind the Midway Geyser Basin.
The Lake Overlook Trail is an easy 1.8 mile lollipop loop that brings hikers to a hilltop providing a stunning view of Yellowstone Lake and beyond.
Duck Lake is an easy 0.5 mile trail to a beautiful glacial lake, originating at the West Thumb Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park.
Yellowstone National Park has no shortage of beautiful and remarkable trails to explore. While the most popular trails will likely remain the boardwalks accessing the thermal features, venturing off the boardwalks can yield some unexpectedly mesmerizing results.
Yellowstone National Park is flush with incredible thermal features, many of them easily accessible thanks to a series of boardwalk hikes scattered throughout the park.
Biscuit Basin is an underrated but beautiful area of the Upper Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park. The boardwalk hike through the basin is an easy 0.6 mile lollipop loop that features gorgeous hot springs and geysers with an optional hike to extend the scenery to Mystic Falls.
The Mystic Falls Trail is an easy 1.2 mile hike in Yellowstone National Park to a stunning waterfall emanating mist among sublime cliffs filled with thermal features. It’s accessed from the Biscuit Basin boardwalk in the Upper Geyser Basin and travels upstream along the Little Firehole River to its destination.
The Morning Glory Pool hike is an easy 1.4 mile hike in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park, originating from Old Faithful Geyser and ending at a stunningly colorful hot spring. It’s one of Yellowstone’s most sought-after hot springs, with its striking color attracting many people who visit.
The Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail is a short 0.85 mile hike that brings visitors to a stunning partially aerial view of one of the world’s largest hot springs, Grand Prismatic Spring. The hike is easy going for the bulk of the trail until ascending toward the overlook.
Point Sublime is lookout along the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River at the end of a 1 mile trail along the South Rim of the canyon in Yellowstone National Park.
Heart Lake is a massive glacial lake tucked away in Yellowstone National Park’s wilderness, where hikers are rewarded with isolation, solitude, and a completely wild landscape surrounding them for miles. At roughly 7.5 miles, it makes for a great day hike, and an even better overnight destination.
The 2 mile hike to Terraced Falls is not only isolated and secluded, but also features some of the most waterfalls you’ll find along such a short distance. While it’s not the most accessible hike, it will reward its visitors with magnificent waterfalls, both large and small, culminating in the 180 foot, Terraced Falls.
The Artist Paint Pots hike in Yellowstone National Park is a 1.1 mile loop hike that brings hikers past unusual and fascinating hot springs and pools.
The West Thumb Geyser Basin Trail is a an easy 1 mile boardwalk trail that brings visitors past gorgeous hot springs and geysers along the shore of Yellowstone Lake.
The Mud Volcano Trail is a moderate 0.8 mile trail in Yellowstone National Park that brings hikers past amazing examples of mud pots.
The Black Sand Basin boardwalk trail is an easy half-mile hike in Yellowstone National Park that brings hikers past stunning hot springs.
The Specimen Ridge Trail along the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River is a moderate 2.2 mile out and back trail.
The Norris Geyser Basin Trail brings hikers through Yellowstone National Park’s hottest geyser basin over an easy 2.8 miles at most.
The Ribbon Lake and Point Sublime hikes are a total of 5.2 moderate miles along the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone in Yellowstone National Park.
The Midway Geyser Basin is an easy 0.75 mile boardwalk hike in Yellowstone National Park that brings hikers past beautiful hot springs, including the signature Grand Prismatic Spring.
Moose Falls is a short and easy 0.1 mile hike in Yellowstone National Park that brings hikers to a beautiful 30-foot waterfall along Crawfish Creek.
The easy Fountain Paint Pots trail in Yellowstone National Park has the unique distinction of being one of the only easily accessible walks in Yellowstone that has great examples of all four types of thermal features.
The 5.75 mile Beaver Ponds Loop is an excellent hike to get you away from the crowds at Mammoth Hot Springs, as well as provide you with fantastic views over the surrounding landscape.
Harlequin Lake in Yellowstone National Park is a short and sweet 1 mile round trip hike for anyone wanting to take a break around the Madison Junction area.
The Upper Geyser Basin has an extensive amount of easy hiking that can be experienced simply by walking from the Old Faithful Geyser.
Lone Star Geyser is a punctual cone geyser in Yellowstone National Park, most easily accessed via an easy 2.5 mile hike just up the road from Old Faithful.
The Monument Geyser Basin hike in Yellowstone National Park is a moderate 1.3 mile hike to an increasingly dormant geyser basin.
General Rules and Understandings for Hiking in Yellowstone National Park Hiking in Yellowstone National Park can be extremely rewarding for a number of reasons. Most… Read More »How to Hike in Yellowstone