Top Trails: Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Andrew Dean Nystrom
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Hike
4.2 miles, Out-and-back, or 7 miles, Loop
Difficulty: 1 2 3 4 5
Cache Lake and Electric Peak
An ambitious and challenging summit hike that offers some of the park’s best views, along with a big sense of achievement and a side trip to a charming lake. It’s best done as an overnighter.
TRAIL 4
Hike, Backpack
21.5 miles, Out-and-back
Difficulty: 1 2 3 4 5
Gallatin Sky Rim Trail
A demanding but scenic ridgeline hike in the northwest corner of the park that promises rugged peaks, volcanic cliffs, and huge views.
TRAIL 5
Hike
16.3 or 18.4 miles, Loop
Difficulty: 1 2 3 4 5
Howard Eaton Trail
This short downhill section of Yellowstone’s longest trail traverses good wildlife habitat and a wide variety of picturesque terrain, including geothermal areas, boulder fields, and the scenic shoulder of Terrace Mountain. It’s most enjoyable if you can arrange a shuttle.
TRAIL 6
Hike
4 miles, Point-to-point, or 6.6 miles, Loop
Difficulty: 1 2 3 4 5
Mammoth Hot Springs
A network of wooden boardwalks offers a closeup look at the most accessible thermal area in the northern half of the park. While Yellowstone’s most famous geysers wow audiences with their predictable, instantly gratifying performances, Mammoth’s mercurial hot-spring terraces are impressive for both their human history and their drawn-out natural development.
TRAIL 7
Hike
1 mile, Loop
Difficulty: 1 2 3 4 5
Osprey Falls
A strenuous add-on to the Bunsen Peak Loop, this infrequently visited waterfall awaits at the head of the impressive Sheepeater Canyon. After a long, flat stretch along an abandoned service road through a regenerating burn area, you plunge 800 feet into the deep, narrow canyon.
TRAIL 8
Hike, Bike
10.0 miles, Out-and-back, or 10.2 miles, Loop
Difficulty: 1 2 3 4 5
TRAIL 1 NORTHWEST YELLOWSTONE
Beaver Ponds Loop
TRAIL USE
Hike
LENGTH
5.5 miles, 2.5–3 hours
VERTICAL FEET
±400
DIFFICULTY
– 1 2 3 4 5 +
TRAIL TYPE
Loop
SURFACE TYPE
Dirt
FEATURES
Child Friendly
Stream
Autumn Colors
Wildflowers
Birds
Wildlife
Great Views
Historic Interest
Geologic Interest
Steep
FACILITIES
Visitor Center
Restrooms
Picnic Tables
Phone
Water
The most popular moderately difficult loop near Mammoth traverses a range of habitats and provides the opportunity to see a wide variety of wildlife, including the occasional black bear.
Best Time
The trail is hikable May–October. During summer, the exposed portions of the route are hot and dry. Wildflowers bloom early here, and aspen groves color the hillside starting in September. Wildlife is most abundant in spring, fall, and winter. The beavers are at their busiest in the late afternoon.
Finding the Trail
From the Grand Loop Road junction in front of the Albright Visitor Center, the Sepulcher Mountain/Beaver Ponds trailhead (1K1) parking area is 0.25 mile south toward Norris Junction. The signed trail-head is at the foot of Clematis Gulch, between an old stone park-employee residence and the dormant hot-spring cone known as Liberty Cap. There are parking lots on both sides of the road, but private vehicles are not allowed to park in the tour bus parking area next to the new restroom facilities.
Logistics
This day hike is one of the only short loop hikes in the northern half of the park and is frequently recommended by rangers at the Albright Visitor Center. It’s also a favorite with park employees early and late in the season. Given all this, it can get busy at times.
Trail Description
From the trailhead parking areas ▸1 near the northern base of the Mammoth Hot Springs terraces, look for a trailhead sign on the main road pointing the way up Clematis Gulch, between the dormant Liberty Cap hot-spring cone (to your left) and the old stone house next to the restroom facility and tour bus parking area (to your right).
Beyond the Sepulcher Mountain trailhead, ▸2 the path crosses Clematis Creek a couple of times on wooden footbridges as it climbs into shady mixed spruce–fir forest. Ignore the Howard Eaton Trail, which cuts uphill just before the second bridge, and continue to your right across the creek.
Steep
Beyond this bridge, the trail swings away from the north bank of the creek and switchbacks sharply around a juniper- and sagebrush-studded ridge to the Howard Eaton–Golden Gate Trail junction ▸3 after 0.3 mile. Keep right to finish the calf-stretching 350-foot climb up to the Beaver Ponds Loop Trail junction, ▸4 0.7 mile from the parking areas.
Starting from Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel
If you’d rather not start out with the steepest part of the hike,