If You Only Do One Hike: Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook Trail. Nothing prepares you for the colors. From the overlook, Grand Prismatic Spring looks like it was painted by someone who had never seen planet Earth. It is the single most visually stunning sight in any national park, and the trail takes under 30 minutes.
8. North Rim Trail
North Rim Trail
- Distance: 6.4 miles
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Elevation Gain: 675 feet
- Time Required: 3 hours
The North Rim Trail takes you through the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. That name gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect. This is one of the best hikes in Yellowstone for the waterfalls and viewpoints. You’ll get to see Grand View, Brink of the Upper Falls, and several other highlights.
The trail isn’t too challenging, but you’ll have more than 500 feet of elevation gain, and since it’s an out-and-back trial, you have to descend every step that you climb.
Despite that, the trail is easy to see, and you don’t have much risk of slipping on loose rocks.
7. Brink of the Lower Falls Trail
Brink of the Lower Falls Trail
- Distance: 0.7 miles
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Elevation Gain: 265 feet
- Time Required: 30 minutes
The North Rim Trail doesn’t quite cover this one extra highlight in the canyon. You can add this as a detour on the North Rim hike, or you can go to the Brink of the Lower Falls Parking Area and just do this shorter hike.
Yellowstone National Park Map
8 trails mapped — click a pin to learn more
Yellowstone National Park at a Glance
4 alertsThis is one of the best hikes in Yellowstone National Park and the largest waterfall in the park. Regardless of how you approach it, it’s well worth your time.
Most people can do this hike, but it’s a little more challenging than it might seem on paper. It only has 265 feet of elevation gain, but it does most of that in less than half a mile, which means you’ll be walking along surprisingly steep switchbacks.
This might be the best 30 minutes you can spend in Yellowstone.
6. Biscuit Basin Interpretive Trail
Biscuit Basin Interpretive Trail
- Distance: 0.7 miles
- Difficulty: Easy
- Elevation Gain: 26 feet
- Time Required: 20 minutes
Another short hike, Biscuit Basin is one of the best hikes in Yellowstone for an easy outing that gives you a lot for your time and effort. Some hikes in Yellowstone National Park are better for wildlife while others are about land formations and plant life. This is both.
You get to see geysers and springs and the unique mud formations, not to mention a sapphire pool conveniently named Sapphire Pool.
Biscuit Basin is also probably the best place in the park for bird viewing. You can see a lot of other wildlife too. Best of all, it earns the title of the easiest hike on this list. If you were just hiking, you could do it in about 15 minutes, but stopping to enjoy the sights will add time to the trip.
You can also add this to the Upper Geyser Basin trail if you want to enjoy all of the notable geysers in the area. Doing so will give you a total hiking distance of close to six miles, but it’s all flat, easy terrain.
5. Bunsen Peak Trail
Bunsen Peak Trail
- Distance: 4.4 miles
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Elevation Gain: 1,282 feet
- Time Required: 3 hours
Bunsen Peak is one of the easiest summit hikes in Yellowstone National Park. It’s still a hike that’s going to work up a sweat, but it doesn’t require the same level of grit as some of the other summits. Despite being a shorter trail, it fully delivers on the views.
You will start at the Bunsen Peak Trailhead, and you will spend around three hours with your mouth hanging open in awe. The elevation gain means that you’ll go consistently uphill, but it’s not nearly as steep as other summits in the area.
The views are expansive and colorful. You have the chance to see every kind of wildlife that calls Yellowstone home. You’ll see other people, but it won’t be overly crowded. If you can only do one thing at Yellowstone, this is worth considering as that one thing.
The only reason this isn’t at the top of the list is because not everyone enjoys climbing mountains. Also, snowfall can make this completely inaccessible for many months out of the year.
All of that said, remember safety. Even though this trail is a little shorter and easier, it’s still a summit. Bring your layers, start early, give wild animals space, and make sure someone knows your itinerary.
4. Trout Lake Loop
Trout Lake Loop
- Distance: 1.2 miles
- Difficulty: Easy
- Elevation Gain: 200 feet
- Time Required: 45 minutes
Trout Lake Loop is a classic best hike in Yellowstone favorite, and it still might be underrated. Definitely go in the summer, and you’ll see expanses of wildflowers around the lake. In the backdrop, you get forests and snow-capped mountains. All the while, you have a great chance to see tons of wildlife, including ospreys and otters.
As a bonus, the trail includes wide, flat, and easy-to-traverse paths. If you want to check out why it’s called Trout Lake, remember that you do need a special permit to do any fishing in the park. The fishing permit is exclusive to Yellowstone. A Montana, Idaho, or Wyoming fishing license will not suffice. Or, you can enjoy watching the trout in the clear water.
The Trout Lake Trailhead is a clearly marked spot where you can park in the Lamar Valley.
Words don’t do this hike justice. It’s stunning.
3. Canyon Rim South Trail
Canyon Rim South Trail
- Distance: 2.5 miles
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Elevation Gain: 278 feet
- Time Required: 1 hour
I’ve already mentioned a couple of hikes in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, and they’re great. This one gets the top 3 ranking of best hikes in Yellowstone because it’s a little more accessible and gets the best views of all.
It’s worth spending a whole day or even two exploring every inch of the canyon, but if you can’t, the South Trail stays on top of the canyon. This allows you to see a whole lot more of everything in a single hike. This trail is family-friendly, making it one of the best canyon hikes in Yellowstone National Park.
With little elevation change and a clearly marked, easy trail, you won’t struggle with this one. If you want a little more adventure, you can add a bunch of detours down into the canyon. You’ll see them from the trail.
2. Little Firehole Loop to Mystic Falls and Fairy Creek
Mystic Falls and Fairy Creek Loop
- Distance: 3.5 miles
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Elevation Gain: 606 feet
- Time Required: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Mystic Falls is a top must-do for the best hikes in Yellowstone National Park. The falls are gorgeous and tucked away and feel like a special corner of the world. The Little Firehole Loop takes you to the falls, but it lets you see a lot of other stuff while you’re there.
Parts of the hike open up, and you get some grand views too. You can even see Old Faithful from here without soldering through the thick crowds closer to the geyser.
There’s just enough elevation gain that this is a moderate hike. If you want something easier and shorter, you can skip Fairy Creek and just enjoy the falls. That cuts about a mile out of the whole hike and saves you a few hundred feet of uphill (and downhill, as it’s an out-and-back hike).
This is a popular area. It’s not super crowded, but you won’t get to have this hike all to yourself. The one thing to remember is that it does experience seasonal closures that depend on weather and bear activity.
1. Fairy Falls Trail
Fairy Falls Trail
- Distance: 4.8 miles
- Difficulty: Easy
- Elevation Gain: 170 feet
- Time Required: 2 hours
The first item on this list is the Grand Prismatic Spring. It’s the spot in Yellowstone, yet it came in last. The Fairy Falls Trail is the reason why, and it’s one of the best hikes in Yellowstone for waterfalls.
The Fairy Falls Trail runs right through the Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook. You get to see one of the most famous views in the whole park. Yes, you have to deal with the crowds, but it’s worth it.
Fairy Falls adds an element to that. Once you enjoy the Spring, keep on the trail, and you’ll get to Fairy Falls. It’s a spectacular 200-foot waterfall that caps an already amazing hike, and it’s significantly less crowded than the Spring Overlook.
This combination hike is accessible and doable for most people and families. Much of the trail is boardwalk until you get into the forested section, but that’s still gentle, easy hiking. If you only ever do one thing at Yellowstone, this should probably be it.
What trail did we miss? With 2.2 million acres, there are always underrated spots we haven’t covered. Tell us your favorite Yellowstone hike in the comments and we’ll check it out on our next trip.
FAQ – Best Hikes in Yellowstone
That would be the Mount Washburn trail. A mix of elevation, wildlife risks, and weather concerns make an already strenuous trail that much more stressful. Of course, it’s also one of the most EPIC hikes in the entire park system. The trail is subject to closure in the fall due to bear activity.
Hiking alone is strongly discouraged. In fact, hiking in pairs is also frowned upon. Ideally, you’ll hike in teams of three. That’s for a slew of safety reasons, but most importantly, to have a strong front against wildlife run-ins on the trails. Yellowstone officials tell us that 91% of all bear attacks happened to people hiking alone or in pairs. If you are traveling alone, be sure to hike in cadence with a larger group.
Yes. You should bring your own bear spray or purchase a container at the park. Be sure to wear the spray in an easily accessible place. Of course, a bear isn’t going to wait to square up with you until you dig a canister out of your backpack. Lower the risk by using bear-proof food containers, too.
Yes. Watch this video, and you’ll see for yourself. By the way, that noise you hear is the “bugling” of an elk bull during the rut (mating season).
Map Of Best Hikes in Yellowstone
Summary of Best Hikes in Yellowstone
- Fairy Falls Trail
- Little Firehole Loop to Mystic Falls and Fairy Creek
- Canyon Rim South Trail
- Trout Lake Loop
- Bunsen Peak Trail
- Biscuit Basin Interpretive Trail
- Brink of the Lower Falls Trail
- North Rim Trail
- Avalanche Peak Trail
- Artist Point Trail
- Lamar River Valley to Cache Creek
- Lone Star Geyser Trail
- Dunraven Pass
- Upper Geyser Basin
- Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail
Helpful Related Links
Yellowstone’s Secrets Revealed: 18 (Fascinating) Yellowstone National Park Facts You Probably Didn’t Realize
Things to Do Yellowstone: 15 Best Things to Do Yellowstone National Park
Best Airports Near Yellowstone: The Best Airports Near Yellowstone National Park
The Wyoming National Parks: 10 Epic Wyoming National Parks: The Complete Guide (+ Photos)
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