Trails of Yellowstone National Park - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...

has over 1100 miles (1,770.3 km) of blazed and mapped hiking trails, including some which have been in use for hundreds of years. Several of these trails were the sites of historical events. Yellowstone's trails are noted for various geyser

Geyser

A geyser is a spring characterized by intermittent discharge of water ejected turbulently and accompanied by a vapour phase . The word geyser comes from Geysir, the name of an erupting spring at Haukadalur, Iceland; that name, in turn, comes from the Icelandic verb geysa, "to gush", the verb...

s, hot spring

Hot spring

A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater from the Earth's crust. There are geothermal hot springs in many locations all over the crust of the earth.-Definitions:...

s, and other geothermal features

Geothermal areas of Yellowstone

The geothermal areas of Yellowstone include several geyser basins in Yellowstone National Park as well as other geothermal features such as hot springs, mud pots, and fumaroles...

, and for viewing of bald eagle

Bald Eagle

The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...

s, osprey

Osprey

The Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...

s, grizzly bear

Grizzly Bear

The grizzly bear , also known as the silvertip bear, the grizzly, or the North American brown bear, is a subspecies of brown bear that generally lives in the uplands of western North America...

s, black bear

American black bear

The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...

s, wolves

Gray Wolf

The gray wolf , also known as the wolf, is the largest extant wild member of the Canidae family...

, coyote

Coyote

The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...

s, bighorn sheep

Bighorn Sheep

The bighorn sheep is a species of sheep in North America named for its large horns. These horns can weigh up to , while the sheep themselves weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates that there are three distinct subspecies of Ovis canadensis, one of which is endangered: Ovis canadensis sierrae...

, pronghorn antelopes, and free-ranging herds of bison

American Bison

The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...

and elk

Elk

The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...

Prehistoric times

In the Middle Prehistoric era, humans appear to have continued living in mountain areas through droughts severe enough for plains populations to disappear. Evidence suggests that the Yellowstone Plateau was occupied continuously, with seasonal movement among preferred places. Foragers wintered in protected valleys along the edges of the plateau, and summered in higher hunting grounds which might extend fifty to one hundred miles away. Some of the seasonal routes developed into often-used trails. Artifacts from this era are found throughout the park, with large enough concentrations around Lake Yellowstone to suggest a substantial population.

First white discoverer used Indian trail sections

John Colter

John Colter was a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition . Though party to one of the more famous expeditions in history, Colter is best remembered for explorations he made during the winter of 1807–1808, when Colter became the first known person of European descent to enter the region now known...

(or Coulter), a former member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

Lewis and Clark Expedition

The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...

, spent the winter of 1806-1807 trapping along the middle Yellowstone River

Yellowstone River

The Yellowstone River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately long, in the western United States. Considered the principal tributary of the upper Missouri, the river and its tributaries drain a wide area stretching from the Rocky Mountains in the vicinity of the Yellowstone National...

. With the information he learned there, he was hired by the Missouri Fur Trading Company to invite Indian tribes to the trading post which the company built at the mouth of the Big Horn River in October 1807. In the winter of 1807-1808, soliciting trade with the Crow

Crow Nation

The Crow, also called the Absaroka or Apsáalooke, are a Siouan people of Native Americans who historically lived in the Yellowstone River valley, which extends from present-day Wyoming, through Montana and into North Dakota. They now live on a reservation south of Billings, Montana and in several...

and other native tribes, Colter traveled alone on a 500 miles (804.7 km) route that included the Yellowstone Plateau, making him the first white man to see Yellowstone Lake

Yellowstone Lake

Yellowstone Lake is the largest body of water in Yellowstone National Park, The lake is 7,732 feet above sea level and covers with 110 miles of shoreline. While the average depth of the lake is 139 feet its deepest spot is at least 390 feet...

and some of the area's unique features. Colter's route included Indian trails both inside and outside the current park, such as over Pryor Gap near Cody, Wyoming

Cody, Wyoming

Cody is a city in Park County, Wyoming, United States. It is named after William Frederick Cody, primarily known as Buffalo Bill, from William Cody's part in the creation of the original town. The population was 9,520 at the 2010 census...

; around the west shore of Yellowstone Lake and down Yellowstone River to the crossing near Tower Fall (a geothermal area on the east bank is "Hot Spring Brimstone" on Clark's map); and continuing up Lamar River

Lamar River

The Lamar River is a tributary of the Yellowstone River, approximately 40 miles long, in northwestern Wyoming in the United States. The river is located entirely within Yellowstone National Park.-History:...

and Soda Butte Creek

Soda Butte Creek

Soda Butte Creek is an approximately long major tributary of the Lamar River in Yellowstone National Park. It is named for an unusual geologic feature near its mouth. Soda Butte and the creek were named by A. Bart Henderson, a Cooke City miner, in 1870...

and Clarks Fork

Clarks Fork Yellowstone River

The Clarks Fork Yellowstone River is a tributary of the Yellowstone River, 150 mi long in the U.S. states of Montana and Wyoming....

to return to the Pryor Gap trail.

Bannock Trail

By 1840, bison ("the Buffalo") had been hunted and trapped to extirpation

Local extinction

Local extinction, also known as extirpation, is the condition of a species which ceases to exist in the chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere...

west of the Continental Divide

Continental Divide

The Continental Divide of the Americas, or merely the Continental Gulf of Division or Great Divide, is the name given to the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those river systems that drain...

. The Shoshone

Shoshone

The Shoshone or Shoshoni are a Native American tribe in the United States with three large divisions: the Northern, the Western and the Eastern....

and Bannock

Bannock (tribe)

The Bannock tribe of the Northern Paiute are an indigenous people of the Great Basin. Their traditional lands include southeastern Oregon, southeastern Idaho, western Wyoming, and southwestern Montana...

tribes had established a plains-style culture based on the buffalo on the Snake River

Snake River

The Snake is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean...

plains, but the regional extinction forced them to organize hunting migrations across the Yellowstone Plateau. These tribes established a route that became known as the Bannock Trail. The route began at Camas Meadows in Idaho

Idaho

Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....

, went over Targhee Pass

Targhee Pass

Targhee Pass is a mountain pass located on the Continental Divide in the Henrys Lake Mountains, along the border between southeastern Idaho and southwestern Montana, at an elevation of 7072 feet above sea level....

, followed the Madison River basin, went over the Gallatin Mountains

Gallatin Range

The Gallatin Range is located in the U.S. states of Montana and Wyoming and includes more than 10 mountains over . The highest peak in the range is Electric Peak at . The Gallatin Range was named after Albert Gallatin, the longest-serving US Secretary of the Treasury and one of the negotiators of...

near Mount Holmes

Mount Holmes

Mount Holmes is a prominent mountain peak in Yellowstone National Park. It is the tallest mountain in the Wyoming portion of the Gallatin Range. Mount Holmes is located in the northwestern part of the park and marks the southern terminus of the Gallatin Range...

, down Indian Creek to the Gardner River, through Snow Pass to Mammoth Hot Springs, up Lava Creek, through the meadows of Blacktail Deer Creek, to the "Bannock Ford" crossing of the Yellowstone River

Yellowstone River

near Tower Falls, up the Lamar Valley, and over the Absaroka Range into the Clarks Fork Valley. From there, Bannock and Shoshone (often with Flathead

Flathead

Flathead may refer to:* Flat-head screwdriver, a screwdriver designed to turn slotted screws* Flat-head screw, a screw with a flat top, designed to be installed in a countersunk hole* Flathead engine, a valve configuration...

and Nez Perce) would choose between the Yellowstone Valley and the Wyoming Basin to hunt bison. For forty years ending in 1878 with the Bannock War

Bannock War

The Bannock War was a series of conflicts in 1878 between various Bannock, Northern Shoshone and Paiute tribes against the United States.- Background :...

, tribes used the Bannock Trail for access to drainages such as the Madison, Gallatin, Yellowstone, Stillwater, Clarks Fork, and Shoshone valleys, and through them to a more distant arc of buffalo ranges.

Folsom party used Indian trails

The most organized of the numerous explorations into Yellowstone in the 1860s was the 1869 Cook–Folsom–Peterson Expedition. It was particularly well documented as having traveled on existing Indian trails. From the Bozeman Pass area, the three-man group rode on a former Indian trail up Meadow Creek from the Gallatin drainage to the Yellowstone drainage, and down Trail Creek (named for its old trail) to the Yellowstone Valley, as miners had done since 1864. They followed Indian trails up the Yellowstone River the rest of the way south to the mouth of the Gardner River, where the trail forked. The party used the fork over Blacktail Deer Creek Plateau to the head of Rescue Creek. Portions of their later travels used other trails long used by natives. An article by Charles W. Cook and David E. Folsom describing the expedition was published in a Chicago magazine in 1870, raising popular attention. David Folsom worked with Walter W. deLacy, another explorer of Yellowstone, to revise deLacy's 1865 map; the 1870 edition aided that year's Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition

Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition

The Washburn Expedition of 1870, explored the region of northwestern Wyoming that a couple years later became Yellowstone National Park. Led by Henry Washburn, Nathaniel P. Langford and under U.S. Army escort led by Lt. Gustavus C...

. They followed the same route into the area as far as Rescue Creek, then used the Bannock Trail eastward. Like the Folsom party, Washburn's group used other Indian trails around parts of Yellowstone Lake and elsewhere in the future Park.

First years as a national park

Yellowstone's first superintendent, Nathaniel P. Langford

Nathaniel P. Langford

Nathaniel Pitt Langford was an explorer, businessman, bureaucrat, vigilante and historian from St. Paul, Minnesota who played an important role in the early years of the Montana gold fields, territorial government and the creation of Yellowstone National Park.-Montana Gold Fields:On June 16, 1862...

, served without salary from 1872 to 1877. He also worked without funds, and entered the Park only twice in his five years of service. Under Langford, no trails were developed, and existing trails were maintained only by their users and guides.

Trail development by P.W. Norris

Yellowstone's second superintendent, Philetus W. Norris, served from 1877 to 1882. His administration, unlike Langford's, had a budget for roadbuilding and trailbuilding. In his five years, the Park trail system was increased from 108 miles (173.8 km) to 204 miles (328.3 km), many miles of existing trails were improved into roads, and wooden signboards were added at many trail intersections and natural features.

Superintendent Norris added the trail (later a road) east through Lamar Valley and out the Park's northeast corner, in 1878. He discovered, explored, and cleared a trail over the Washburn Range through Rowland Pass, in 1878.

Current trail system

Many trails in Yellowstone traverse Bear Management Areas and are seasonally closed or restricted to reduce human contact with bears.

Trail names, descriptions and data derived from:,,,,
,,,

Interpretive and Attraction Related Trails

These trails are primarily associated with park attractions, especially geothermal features, and are sometimes out and back day hikes, and in many cases are improved boardwalks and supported with interpretive signs and exhibits.

Trail Name	Description	Trail Head(s)	Length (OW-One Way, RT-Round Trip)
Norris Geyser Basin Area
Artist Paint Pots	Interpretive trail that explores the Artist Paint Pots near Gibbon Meadows in the Norris Geyser Basin	3.9 miles (6.3 km) south of Norris Junction 44°41′37"N 110°44′45"W	1.2 miles (1.9 km)
Cygnet Lakes Trail	Relatively flat out and back trail to marshy lakes popular with wildlife observers.	6.6 miles (10.6 km) east of Norris Junction 44°42′21"N 110°34′21"W	8 miles (12.9 km)
Monument Geyser Basin	A moderately difficult out and back trail to the seldom visited Monument Geyser Basin	4.6 miles (7.4 km) south of Norris Junction 44°41′1"N 110°44′40"W	3 miles (4.8 km)
Mammoth Hot Springs Area
Boiling River Trail	Trail to hot springs on the edge of the Gardner River Gardner River The Gardner River is a tributary of the Yellowstone River, approximately long, in northwestern Wyoming and south central Montana in the United States. The entire river is located within Yellowstone National Park... used as a swimming area.	North Entrance-Mammoth Road 44°59′32"N 110°41′31"W	1 miles (1.6 km)
Beaver Ponds Trail	Gentle loop trail through meadows and beaver ponds on Clematis Creek	Mammoth Hot Springs near Liberty Cap 44°58′30"N 110°42′33"W	5.1 miles (8.2 km)
Wraith Falls	Short hike to a 100 feet (30.5 m) cascade on Lupine Creek	Wraith Falls trailhead: 44°56′30"N 110°37′32"W	1 miles (1.6 km)
Madison River Area
Harlequin Lake	Trail to shallow lake just north of the West Entrance Rd near Madison Junction. Popular with birdwatchers.	1.7 miles west of Madison Junction 44°38′24"N 110°52′59"W	1 miles (1.6 km)
Purple Mountain Trail	Steep trail to the top of Purple Mountain el. 8433 feet (2,570.4 m) with good views of the lower Gibbon River Gibbon River The Gibbon River is a river in Yellowstone National Park, in Wyoming, the United States. It rises in the center of the park at Grebe Lake. It flows for a short distance into Wolf Lake. Below Wolf Lake, the river flows through Virginia Cascades into the Norris valley. It flows near the Norris... meadows.	0.25 mile (0.402335 km) nouth of Madison Junction 44°38′47"N 110°51′17"W	6 miles (9.7 km)
Lower and Midway Geyser Basin
Fountain Paint Pots Trail	An easy loop trail through the Fountain Paint Pots Fountain Paint Pots The Fountain Paint Pot is a mud pot located in Lower Geyser basin in Yellowstone National Park.The Fountain Paint Pot is named for the reds, yellows and browns of the mud in this area. The differing colors are derived from oxidation states of the iron in the mud. As with all hot springs, the heat... area at the southern end of the Lower Geyser Basin near Midway.	44°32′57"N 110°48′22"W	0.5 mile (0.80467 km)
Fountain Flats Freight Road	An old gravel road between Fountain Flats and Midway Geyser Basin closed in the 1970s. It is currently used as a bike path that gives access to several backcountry trailheads, Goose Lake and the Firehole River Firehole River The Firehole River is one of two major tributaries of the Madison River. It flows north approximately from its source in Madison Lake on the Continental Divide to join the Gibbon River at Madison Junction in Yellowstone National Park... .	Northern trailhead: 44°34′1"N 110°50′6"W Southern trailhead: 44°30′56"N 110°49′57"W	4.6 miles (7.4 km)
Upper Geyser Basin-Old Faithful Area
Upper Geyser Basin Trail	The Upper Geyser Basin trail is a series of long walkways that traverse the basin's thermal features between Old Faithful and Biscuit Basin. There are multiple loops and routes thru the basin using these trails.	Old Faithful trailhead:44°27′35"N 110°49′56"W Biscuit Basin trailhead: 44°29′3"N 110°51′4"W

} to 5 miles (8 km)
|-
|Biscuit Basin Trail
|
|
|
|-
|Black Sand Basin Trail
|
|
|
|-
|Lone Star Geyser

Lone Star Geyser

Lone Star Geyser is a cone type geyser located in the Lone Star Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park. The basin is a backcountry geyser basin located southeast of Old Faithful Geyser and the Upper Geyser Basin...

Mystic Falls

Mystic Falls is a cascade type waterfall on the Little Firehole River, a tributary of the Firehole River. Originally named Little Firehole Falls by members of the 1872 Hayden Geologic Survey, the name was changed to Mystic Falls by members of the Arnold Hague Geological Survey in 1885 for unknown...

Trail
| Parallels the Little Firehole River to the base of the falls through burned over lodgepole pine and rocky talus.
| Trailhead departs west side of Biscuit Basin loop. 44°29′8"N 110°51′31"W
| 1.2 miles (1.9 km) to base of falls. Connects with Biscuit Basin overlook trail, loop is ~2.4 miles (3.9 km) RT
|-
!colspan="4"|Canyon Area
|-
|Uncle Tom's Trail
|A steep 500 feet (152.4 m) descent into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone from the south rim near the Lower Yellowstone Fall.
|Just east of the Lower Falls south rim parking area 44°42′59"N 110°29′37"W
|1 miles (1.6 km)
|-
! colspan="4"|West Thumb Geyser Basin
|-
|West Thumb Trail
|An oval loop trail with an inner path that surrounds the major West Thumb geothermal features at the edge of Yellowstone Lake

Yellowstone Lake

Trout Lake

Trout Lake may refer to:*Trout Lake on the border of Polk County, Florida, and Highlands County, Florida* Trout Lake * Trout Lake in Ravalli County, Montana* Trout Lake in Sweet Grass County County, Montana...

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is the first large canyon on the Yellowstone River downstream from Yellowstone Falls in Yellowstone National Park...

between Tower Fall and the Tower Junction bridge across the Yellowstone River

Yellowstone River

. Connects with the Specimen Ridge trail.
|2 miles (3.2 km) east of Tower Junction on Northeast entrance road. 44°55′0"N 110°24′1"W
|1.2 miles (1.9 km)
|-
|}

Backcountry Trails

These trails traverse the Yellowstone backcountry and many have backcountry campsites along their route.

Trail Name	Description	Trail Head(s)	Length (OW-One Way, RT-Round Trip)
Northwest Quadrant
Bighorn Pass Trail
Blacktail Deer Creek Trail	Steep trail down to the Black Canyon of Yellowstone River
Crevice Creek Trail			1.7 miles (2.7 km)
Fan Creek Trail			5 miles (8 km) to 11 miles (17.7 km)
Fawn Pass Trail			20.8 miles (33.5 km)
Gneiss Creek Trail			8.6 miles (13.8 km)
Grebe Lake Grebe Lake Grebe Lake is a backcountry lake in Yellowstone National Park most noted for it population of Arctic Grayling. Grebe Lake comprises the headwaters of the Gibbon River. Grebe Lake is located approximately north of the Norris-Canyon section of the Grand Loop Road. The trail to the lake passes... Trail	Easy level trail through Lodgepole Pine forests to Grebe Lake, popular with anglers for its Arctic Grayling Arctic grayling Arctic grayling is a species of freshwater fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. It comprises five subspecies native to the Nearctic and Palearctic ecozones. T. a. arcticus is widespread throughout the Arctic and Pacific drainages in Canada, Alaska, and Siberia, as well as the upper...	Approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Canyon on the Canyon-Norris road. 44°43′2"N 110°32′58"W	6.6 miles (10.6 km) RT
Grizzly Lake Trail
Ice Lake Trail			4.5 miles (7.2 km)
Lava Creek Trail		Western trailhead: 44°58′24"N 110°40′59"W Eastern trailhead: 44°56′33"N 110°37′59"W	4.5 miles (7.2 km)
Mount Holmes Mount Holmes Mount Holmes is a prominent mountain peak in Yellowstone National Park. It is the tallest mountain in the Wyoming portion of the Gallatin Range. Mount Holmes is located in the northwestern part of the park and marks the southern terminus of the Gallatin Range... Trail
Rescue Creek Trail	Bounded on the north by the Yellowstone River Yellowstone River The Yellowstone River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately long, in the western United States. Considered the principal tributary of the upper Missouri, the river and its tributaries drain a wide area stretching from the Rocky Mountains in the vicinity of the Yellowstone National... and the south by Mount Everts	Northern trailhead: 45°1′3"N 110°41′37"W Southern trailhead: 44°57′19"N 110°35′38"W	8.1 miles (13 km)
Solfatara Creek Trail			6.3 miles (10.1 km)
Sportsman Lake Trail			23.2 miles (37.3 km)
Trilobite Lake Trail
Wolf Lake Trail			4.7 miles (7.6 km)
Yellowstone River Trail-Black Canyon	Trail parallels the North shore of the Yellowstone River from Gardiner to Tower Junction in the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone.	Western trailhead Gardiner, MT: 45°1′55"N 110°42′6"W Eastern trailhead (Tower Junction): 44°54′57"N 110°24′56"W	18.5 miles (29.8 km)
Northeast Quadrant
Buffalo Fork Trail
Cache Creek Trail			5.6 miles (9 km)
Hellroaring Creek Trail			4 miles (6.4 km)
Pebble Creek Trail			12 miles (19.3 km)
Slough Creek Trail			22 miles (35.4 km)
Specimen Ridge Specimen Ridge Specimen Ridge, el. is an approximately ridge along the south rim of the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park. The ridge separates the Lamar Valley from Mirror Plateau. The ridge is oriented northwest to southeast from the Tower Junction area to Amethyst Mountain. The ridge is known for... Trail			18.8 miles (30.3 km)
Yellowstone River Picnic Trail	Trail parallels the north rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is the first large canyon on the Yellowstone River downstream from Yellowstone Falls in Yellowstone National Park... offering spectacular views of the river and canyon. Intersects with the Specimen Ridge trail at 1.9 miles (3.1 km).	Trailhead 1.8 miles (2.9 km) east of Tower-Roosevelt on Northeast Entrance road. 44°55′0"N 110°24′1"W	3.8 miles (6.1 km) RT
Southwest Quadrant
Delacy Creek Trail	An easy, well marked trail that follows the course of DeLacy Creek to the north shore of Shoshone Lake Shoshone Lake Shoshone Lake is a backcountry lake with the area of elevated at in the southwest section of Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, US. It lies at the headwaters of the Lewis River a tributary of the Snake River. The U.S... .	0.9 miles (1.4 km) east of Craig Pass Craig Pass Craig Pass , is a mountain pass located on the Continental Divide in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. The Grand Loop Road crosses the pass approximately east of Old Faithful Geyser.... on the Grand Loop Road 44°26′49"N 110°42′8"W	5.8 miles (9.3 km) RT
Divide Trail	Steep out and back trail from the Craig Pass Craig Pass Craig Pass , is a mountain pass located on the Continental Divide in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. The Grand Loop Road crosses the pass approximately east of Old Faithful Geyser.... area to Divide Mountain el. 8725 feet (2,659.4 m) (site of a former fire lookout tower) for great views of the Shoshone Lake basin.	6.8 miles (10.9 km) east of Old Faithful: 44°26′5"N 110°44′5"W	5 miles (8 km)
Dogshead Trail			4.6 miles (7.4 km)
Fairy Creek Trail
Lewis Channel Trail			6.2 miles (10 km)
Mary Mountain Trail	Wildlife rich trail that traverses Mary Mountain el. 8573 feet (2,613.1 m) between Alum Creek in the Hayden Valley Hayden Valley Hayden Valley is a large, sub-alpine valley in Yellowstone National Park straddling the Yellowstone River between Yellowstone Falls and Yellowstone Lake. The valley floor along the river is an ancient lake bed from a time when Yellowstone Lake was much larger... and Nez Perce Creek on the Firehole River Firehole River The Firehole River is one of two major tributaries of the Madison River. It flows north approximately from its source in Madison Lake on the Continental Divide to join the Gibbon River at Madison Junction in Yellowstone National Park... .	Nez Perce Creek trailhead: 44°34′11"N 110°48′58"W Alum Creek trailhead: 44°40′59"N 110°29′37"W	20 miles (32.2 km)
Mallard Creek Trail	An alternate route to Mallard Lake. A popular winter cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles... trail.	4.8 miles (7.7 km) north of Old Faithful: 44°30′24"N 110°50′0"W	4.2 miles (6.8 km)
Mallard Lake Trail	A moderate hike to Mallard Lake from the Old Faithful area. A popular winter cross-country skiing trail.	Old Faithful trailhead: 44°27′29"N 110°47′22"W	3.1 miles (5 km)
Shoshone Lake Trail	A long, backcountry trail to the southwest shore of Shoshone Lake Shoshone Lake Shoshone Lake is a backcountry lake with the area of elevated at in the southwest section of Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, US. It lies at the headwaters of the Lewis River a tributary of the Snake River. The U.S... and the Shoshone Geyser Basin.	Lewis Falls trailhead: 44°19′30"N 110°44′57"W Old Faithful trailhead: 44°23′53"N 110°49′40"W	16.9 miles (27.2 km)
Summit Lake Trail	A difficult backcountry trail from Biscuit Basin to the western border of the park. The makes up a significant portion of the Continental Divide Trail Continental Divide Trail The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail is a United States National Scenic Trail running 3,100 miles between Mexico and Canada. It follows the Continental Divide along the Rocky Mountains and traverses five U.S. states — Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico... contained in the park.	Biscuit Basin trailhead:44°29′3"N 110°51′4"W Western trailhead: 44°24′28"N 111°5′50"W	15.9 miles (25.6 km)
Southeast Quadrant
Heart Lake Heart Lake (Wyoming) Heart Lake el. is a large backcountry lake, nestled at the base of Mount Sheridan in Yellowstone National Park. Heart Lake is in the Snake River drainage and is drained by the Heart River.-History:... Trail	A moderate hike through meadows and forests to Heart Lake and the Heart Lake Geyser Basin. Popular with anglers for Cutthroat Trout Cutthroat trout The cutthroat trout is a species of freshwater fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. It is one of the many fish species colloquially known as trout... and Lake Trout Lake trout Lake trout is a freshwater char living mainly in lakes in northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, lake char , touladi, togue, and grey trout. In Lake Superior, they can also be variously known as siscowet, paperbellies and leans... . Connects with the Mount Sheridan Mount Sheridan Mount Sheridan el. is a prominent mountain peak overlooking Heart Lake in the Red Mountains of Yellowstone National Park. The peak is named in honor of General Philip H. Sheridan, U.S. Army, one of the early protectors of the park.-History:... Trail at the lake.	Northern trailhead is opposite Lewis Lake Lewis Lake -United States:Lewis Lake: a lake in Sumter Township, McLeod County, MinnesotaLewis Lake, Massachusetts: located in Winthrop, Massachusetts*Lewis Lake, Minnesota: an unincorporated community in Kanabec County, Minnesota... on the southern entrance road. 44°19′0"N 110°35′57"W Southern trailhead spurs off the South Boundary Trail near Snake Hot Springs 44°10′9"N 110°34′27"W	7.5 miles (12.1 km) OW (from Lewis Lake)
Mount Sheridan Mount Sheridan Mount Sheridan el. is a prominent mountain peak overlooking Heart Lake in the Red Mountains of Yellowstone National Park. The peak is named in honor of General Philip H. Sheridan, U.S. Army, one of the early protectors of the park.-History:... Trail	Steep trail to the summit of Mount Sheridan overlooking Heart Lake.	Northwest shoreline of Heart Lake 44°16′45"N 110°30′11"W	6.6 miles (10.6 km) RT (from Heart Lake)

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.