Short but Steep Path to Trout Lake

Autumn berries and the unnamed peak at Trout Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Autumn berries and the unnamed peak at Trout Lake

The hike up to Trout Lake in Yellowstone National Park sounds so easy: A 0.4 mile trail to a lake. What could possibly be hard about it? Well, let’s start with the fact that the trail is exceedingly steep. I had looked at the elevation gain and thought it wouldn’t be too bad, but I was wrong. The good news is that the lake is pretty, with some good views of the surrounding mountains. So as long as you know you have a steep hike ahead of you, you’ll enjoy the reward at the end!

Quick Stats

Round Trip Length: 1.4 miles Trail Type: Lollipop loop Elevation Gain: 342ft. Pets: No Fees: $35/vehicle

Views from the meadows toward Beartooth Pass on the Trout Lake Trail, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Views from the meadows toward Beartooth Pass

The Trout Lake Trail begins by traveling uphill through a meadow. Views are good toward Beartooth Pass, especially of Mt. Norris and the Thunderer. It soon enters a forest, and the climb begins in earnest.

Views of Trout Lake near the outlet, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Views of Trout Lake near the outlet

There’s not much more to tell until the path suddenly goes downhill – and pops out on the shore of Trout Lake 0.4 miles from the trailhead.

My first view of Trout Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — My first view of Trout Lake

From here, I highly recommend that you walk around the lake. Going right, you’ll get better views of the unnamed peak that gives Trout Lake such a good backdrop. Going left has its advantages, too, including views across the lake. I decided to go left.

Two goldeneye ducks in Trout Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Two goldeneye ducks

Cross over the Trout Lake Outlet (neither an easy nor difficult feat in September) and walk on the path until you come to a set of trails on your left when the forest turns to meadow. Taking one or another of these will bring you up to a nice overlook down the Lamar Valley. Sadly for me, the sun was in the wrong place for pictures. But it was still a nice view.

Views down toward the Lamar Valley from near Trout Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Views down toward the Lamar Valley

Keep walking along the lakeshore. On the far shore, the path is narrow, but the views are still good over the lake. When we visited, two guys were fishing; the one couldn’t seem to stop talking, and the other seemed as though he was regretting his decision to take the first guy with him. But maybe I’m making up things.

The two fishermen on the north side of Trout Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — The two fishermen on the north side of Trout Lake

At any rate, the path crosses the Trout Lake inlet (AllTrails says you can follow this up to Buck Lake, but I saw no trail whatsoever) and then turns to continue around the final side of Trout Lake. The best views were to my back at this point, but I still got some pictures of the unnamed peak.

Closeup of the unnamed peak over Trout Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Closeup of the Unnamed Peak

At 1 mile, return to the trail back to the parking area. It’s only 0.4 miles downhill from here!

Canadian thistles along Trout Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Canadian thistles

Round Trip Trail Length: 1.4 miles

Elevation Gain: 342ft. (6,757ft. to 6,987ft.)

Facilities: None

Fees: $35/vehicle to enter Yellowstone National Park, valid 7 days. America the Beautiful National Parks & Federal Public Lands Passes and Yellowstone Annual Passes are accepted.

The trail winding around to the western shore of Trout Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — The trail winding around to the western shore of Trout Lake

Trail Notes: A Yellowstone National Park fishing license is required (a Wyoming fishing license doesn’t count). I visited in the afternoon (really, just after noon), so it was a warm trail with very strong lighting – I’d guess there would be more wildlife activity in the early morning or late afternoon. The stream crossings could be more difficult in the spring or in wetter weather than in the fall. As I’ve already said, the path is quite steep, and the elevation is higher than much of the park, so take your time!

A hiker on the western side of Trout Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — A hiker on the western side of Trout Lake

Trail

Road

Signs

Scenery

Would I go 100 miles out of my way for this?

Overall Rating:

More goldeneye ducks on Trout Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — More goldeneye ducks

GPS Coordinates for Trout Lake

TH: 44.8991780°, -110.1231050° (44°53.95068′, -110°07.38630′ / 44°53’57.0408″, -110°07’23.1780″) (6,761ft.) (0.0)

Trout Lake: 44.9002510°, -110.1278660° (44°54.01506′, -110°07.67196′ / 44°54’00.9036″, -110°07’40.3176″) (6,964ft.) (0.38)

End at TH: 44.8991600°, -110.1231120° (44°53.94960′, -110°07.38672′ / 44°53’56.9760″, -110°07’23.2032″) (6,760ft.) (1.42)

Hiking toward the unnamed peak beyond Trout Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Hiking toward the unnamed peak

The gpx file for Trout Lake can be downloaded – please note that this and the GPS Coordinates are for reference only and should not be used as a sole resource when hiking this trail.

Download GPX File size: 30.5 KB Downloaded 0 times

(Note: I do my best to ensure that all downloads, the webpage, etc. are virus-free and accurate; however, I cannot be held responsible for any damage that might result, including but not limited to loss of data, damages to hardware, harm to users, from use of files, information, etc. from this website. Thanks!)

The inlet of Trout Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — The inlet of Trout Lake

Getting to the Trout Lake Trailhead

From Tower Junction, drive north on US-212 toward the Northeast Entrance and Cooke City. After 17.7 miles, the (more or less unmarked) trailhead will be on the right.

Trout Lake Trail Map on the trailhead sign, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Trout Lake Trail Map on the trailhead sign

From the Northeastern Entrance to Yellowstone National Park, follow the main road 10.4 miles to the (more or less unmarked) trailhead on the left.

Trout Lake trail map and elevation profile

More Hikes in Yellowstone National Park

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