Day Hiking in Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone is vast — a geothermal world of mud pots and geysers, wildlife-rich valleys, forests, waterfalls, and wide-open plateaus. With so many different regions and ecosystems, the hiking possibilities are incredibly diverse.

But the scale alone can be intimidating. With two million acres of land laced with miles of roads and trails, choosing hikes that match your time and interests can be difficult.

• How many regions of the park should I visit?
• Where will I see the most wildlife?
• Which hikes are right for me?

We’re here to help!

Note: All of this information and more is included in the Day Hikes of Yellowstone National Park Map Guide — you’ll be glad to have it when there’s no cell service in the park!

• Click each trail name to learn more about the hike
• Click on table headers to sort by that column

  Jake’s Rank	Hike Name	Distance Group	Area
  1	Mount Washburn	5-10	CA
  2	South Rim Trail	5-10	CA
  3	North Rim Trail	5-10	CA
  4	Clear Lake – Ribbon Lake Loop	5-10	CA
  5	Avalanche Peak	0-5	YL
  6	Fairy Falls	5-10	OF
  7	Storm Point Nature Trail	0-5	YL
  8	Trout Lake	0-5	LP
  9	Pebble Creek (Upper Valley)	0-5	LP
  10	Yellowstone River Picnic Area	0-5	TO
  11	Osprey Falls	5-10	MA
  12	Beaver Ponds Loop	5-10	MA
  13	Pelican Creek Nature Trail	0-5	YL
  14	Specimen Ridge	0-5	TO
  15	Mystic Falls	0-5	OF
  16	Lone Star Geyser	0-5	OF
  17	Observation Peak	5-10	CA
  18	Artists Paintpots	0-5	CA
  19	Bunsen Peak	0-5	MA
  20	Sepulcher Mountain	10-15	MA
  21	Slough Creek	0-5	TO
  22	Terraced Falls	0-5	BE
  23	Lost Lake Loop	0-5	TO
  24	Garnet Hill Loop	5-10	TO
  25	Elephant Back Mountain	0-5	YL
  26	Natural Bridge	0-5	YL
  27	Hellroaring Creek	0-5	TO
  28	Bechler Falls	0-5	BE
  29	Union Falls	15+	BE
  30	Sky Rim Trail via Dailey Creek	15+	GM
  31	Colonnade Falls	15+	BE
  32	Dunanda Falls	15+	BE
  33	Sentinel Meadows	5-10	OF
  34	Observation Point	0-5	OF
  35	Cascade Lake	0-5	CA
  36	Grebe Lake	5-10	CA
  37	Seven Mile Hole	5-10	CA
  38	Tower Fall	0-5	TO
  39	Mount Holmes	15+	MA
  40	Black Butte Trail	10-15	GM
  41	Specimen Creek	15+	GM
  42	Shoshone Lake via DeLacy Creek	5-10	YL
  43	Harlequin Lake	0-5	GM
  44	Lava Creek	0-5	MA
  45	Rescue Creek	5-10	MA
  46	Pelican Valley Loop	15+	YL
  47	Blacktail Deer Creek	10-15	MA
  48	Purple Mountain	5-10	GM
  49	Lewis River/Dogshead Loop	10-15	SR
  50	Wolf Lake	5-10	CA
  51	Yellowstone Lake Overlook	0-5	YL
  52	Cache Lake	10-15	MA
  53	Duck Lake	0-5	YL
  54	The Hoodoos – Snow Pass Loop	5-10	MA
  55	Ice Lake	0-5	CA
  56	Trilobite Lake	15+	MA
  57	Mallard Lake	5-10	OF
  58	Wraith Falls	0-5	MA
  59	Grizzly Lake	0-5	MA
  60	Monument Geyser Basin	0-5	CA
  61	Riddle Lake	0-5	YL
  62	Beula Lake	5-10	SR
  63	Cygnet Lakes	5-10	CA
  64	Mallard Creek	5-10	OF
  65	Divide	0-5	YL