Over 1,000 miles of hiking trails provide access to the 2.2 million acres of wilderness in Yellowstone National Park. You can see various wildlife and scenic vistas from many of the trails. The mountainous and difficult terrain also provides an excellent workout. Regardless of the area you choose to visit, numerous trails will take you on a variety of scenic and challenging routes through the park's wilderness with enough options to tailor your hike to your particular preference.
Geography
The southwestern corner of Yellowstone is the most iconic part of the park. It features most of the geysers within its basin, including Old Faithful. Mammoth Hot Springs is on the northwest end of the park. Here the Gallatin Mountain Range provides challenging hiking terrain including several summits. The Eastern End of the park follows the Yellowstone River through the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone to Yellowstone Lake. The variety of geographic features in the park makes each hike an exciting challenge.
The Canyon
Of all the hikes in the Canyon area, four are particular challenges. These hikes take between six and eight hours and provide a challenging day hike with long climbs, such as those up the Observation Peak trail or Mt. Washburn's summit. Seven Mile Hole features a treacherous 1,000-foot downhill climb over one and a half miles and passes both dormant and active hot springs along the way. If you are unsure how far you would like to go, consider hiking the Howard Eaton Trail, which features several lake destinations. The first lake is two and a half miles down the trail. The other trailside lakes are two miles apart, the furthest being 12 miles away.
Mammoth Area
Several hikes, beginning in the Mammoth area offer hikes along the Yellowstone River, to waterfalls and up mountain summits. Both the Yellowstone River, and Rescue Creek Trails follow swift river waters and valleys as they descend. The Osprey Falls trail leads you along a strenuous, eight-mile path towards Osprey Falls and 700 feet into Sheepeater Canyon, one of the park's deepest. Far above the canyon floor is Sepulcher Mountain, which you will summit along the challenging, 11-mile trail.
Old Faithful
Hiking through the Geyser basins in the Old Faithful area will take you through challenging terrain with waterfalls, geysers and panoramic views. Observation point is a short hike from the Old Faithful park headquarters, lasting only a mile, but climbs 160 feet to a wide view of the park. Both Mystic and Fairy Falls are accessed in this part of the park and Geysers are visible from both scenic outlooks and most trails.
Safety
Maintaining a healthy concern for safety is essential in Yellowstone National Park, since grizzly bears, wolves, weather, and steep terrain are only some of the dangers you may encounter. To stay safe in the park, make noise while you are hiking to avoid surprising a bear, keep your distance from all animals you may encounter, pay attention to changing weather, pack dry clothes and rain gear and do not stray from the trail.
Member Comments