Terrace Mountain Loop: The Quiet Mountains of Yellowstone

Hiking the meadow section of the Terrace Mountain Loop, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Hiking the meadow section of the Terrace Mountain Loop

The Terrace Mountain Loop was a hike in Yellowstone that piqued my interest for no particular reason, similar to the Lamar River Trail. But I’m so glad we did it! The miles through meadows with fantastic views were worth the entire length of the loop, plus we had great views to the mountains near Mammoth and some cool rock formations in the “hoodoos” section of the trail. It’s definitely an overlooked gem of a hike that showcases a less geothermal side of Yellowstone National Park.

Quick Stats

Round Trip Length: 7.25 miles Trail Type: Lollipop loop Elevation Gain: 1,134ft. Pets: No Fees: $35/vehicle

Wildflowers along the Hoodoos Trail with the cliffs of Terrace Mountain in the background, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Wildflowers along the Hoodoos Trail with the cliffs of Terrace Mountain in the background

The loop is actually a collection of trails that circle Terrace Mountain – so you won’t be climbing the peak. I’m sure the views would be good from up there, but instead, you’ll get a slightly more intimate view of the surrounding scenery. The tree trails that make up the loop are the Fawn Pass Trail, the Snow Pass Trail, and the Hoodoos Trail.

A brief section of powerline along the Snow Pass Trail, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — A brief section of powerline along the Snow Pass Trail

The parking area is technically the “Glen Creek Trailhead” and is also an overflow lot for the Bunson Peak Trailhead (which is almost directly across the road). It’s a relatively new and fairly large lot – I’d say it was put in as a staging area for roadwork, then converted into a trailhead. The large size means that it’s suitable for horse trailers as well as quite a few vehicles.

The Glen Creek Trailhead near the hitching rail, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — The trailhead near the hitching rail

From the parking area, walk over to the southwest corner of the lot (left if your back is to the road). It’s a little difficult to find the trailhead, even if the trail itself is wide – look for the hitching rails. Walk left, down the trail, and you’ll fairly quickly come to the trail signs, marked as the Glen Creek Trailhead.

The Howard Eaton Trail near the Glen Creek Trailhead, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — The Howard Eaton Trail near the trailhead

Just beyond this, the trees end in rolling, grassy plains – turn right on the trail through the grass (if you turned left, you’d pretty quickly come to the road). A short distance later, a trail goes off on the right – a sign points straight ahead for the Howard Eaton Trail. The unmarked trail on the right is the return of the loop (the Hoodoos Trail).

Views toward Quadrant Peak and Mount Holmes from the Terrace Mountain Loop, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Views toward Mount Holmes and Antler Peak

From here, the trail gently descends through the rolling prairie, covered in grass and sage brush. In the autumn, it was a spectacular place – alone, hemmed in by the mountains on three sides, the grass yellow-brown and nearby trees turning their fall colors. Incredible!

Hiking toward Sepulcher Mountain on the Terrace Mountain Loop, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Hiking toward Electric Peak

It was also very early morning, so the meadows were still frosty.

A frosty leaf in the meadows around the Terrace Mountain Loop, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — A frosty leaf

The trail turns around the shoulder of the hill of Terrace Mountain to descend into the valley. Electric Peak rises high above the other mountains, slowly disappearing behind Sepulcher Mountain as you hike deeper into the valley.

Views to Swan Lake from the Terrace Mountain Loop, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Views to Swan Lake

To me, this valley was the most beautiful part of the hike. Of course, I had the trees turning color and the golden meadows at Golden Hour, which probably helped.

Views to Joseph Peak (I think!) across the sagebrush from the Fawn Pass Trail, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Views to Quadrant Mountain across the sagebrush

At 2.1 miles, you’ll come to a trail that strikes off to the right – a sign marks this as the Snow Pass Junction. This is the cutoff trail to the Snow Creek Trail, so if you’re doing this as a loop, you’ll want to turn right here. I wanted to go on to the real junction (professional reasoning here), so I turned left toward Sepulcher Mountain and Sportsman Lake.

heading for the Sepulcher Mountain Trail Junction on the Terrace Mountain Loop, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — heading for the Sepulcher Mountain Trail Junction

A quarter-mile later, you’ll come to a second junction. Turn right away from Cache Lake, Electric Pass, and Sportsman Lake. The trail works its way along the side of the hill and then up into Snow Pass along some powerlines.

Autumn colors near the trail junctions on the Terrace Mountain Loop, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Autumn colors near the trail junctions

At this point, you’re leaving behind the good views and also the easy trail. The climb up isn’t so bad. But going down the other side is very steep! And the worst part was that we knew we’d have to regain all of that elevation on the other side. As you pass through Snow Pass, Terrace Mountain will be to the south (right) and Clagett Butte will be to the north (left).

Hiking up toward Snow Pass on the Snow Pass Trail/Terrace Mountain Loop, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Hiking up toward Snow Pass

The Clagett Butte Trail strikes off left at mile 3.4 – just before the worst of the steepness. Keep walking downhill through the thick forest. A good view of Bunson Peak appears through the trees about 0.7 miles later.

Bunson Peak from the Snow Pass Trail, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Bunson Peak from the Snow Pass Trail

The next junction is with the Howard Eaton Trail between Mammoth and the Golden Gate. If you kept walking straight (downhill) here, you’d come to the Snow Pass Trailhead. I did it for the sake of photos, but I didn’t take my GPS with me. You want to turn right (toward Golden Gate) to begin the ascent back up to the western slopes of Terrace Mountain.

Looking back down the trail toward Mammoth as it climbs up the side of Terrace Mountain, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Looking back down the trail toward Mammoth as it climbs up the side of Terrace Mountain

The trail climbs steadily if not as steeply as the path down from Snow Pass. Even better, the trees thin to reveal tree-studded meadows – which means you get views to the surrounding area. I also found several autumn wildflowers. The views improve of Bunson Peak and the mountains around Mammoth as you climb higher.

Hiking through the Hoodoos on the Terrace Mountain Loop, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Hiking through the Hoodoos

Without fanfare, and sometime after the 5 mile point, the trail suddenly enters the Hoodoos. This is not like Bryce Canyon; it’s cliffs up on the hillside (on top of Terrace Mountain) and a crazy jumble of rocks. But it’s also super cool! I had a great time walking through this area, which ends at mile 5.9 as the path reenters the forest.

Views in the Hoodoos section of the Terrace Mountains Loop, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Views in the Hoodoos section

As you walked through the Hoodoo section, you were above “Silver Gate” down on the main road. This was where the old road passed between huge boulders – it was later widened and straightened for easier driving. Looking back, you can see the road winding its way around where Silver Gate used to be.

Looking back at the Hoodoos (you can just see the road near Silver Gate) from the Terrace Mountain Loop, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Looking back at the Hoodoos (you can just see the road near Silver Gate)

You’ll also hike above Golden Gate, though you can’t see that from the trail. Either before or after your hike, you might want to stop and see Rustic Falls!

Views while hiking along the side of Terrace Mountain, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Views while hiking along the side of Terrace Mountain

Possibly the best view on the entire loop is (almost) at mile 6.6. I call this “Swan Flat Overlook” since the unmarked viewpoint looks down on Swan Flat – and also to Swan Lake, Quadrant Peak, Bannock Peak, Dome Mountain, Mount Holmes, and beyond. It would be better in the summer than the autumn (because you’re looking south), but it was still pretty amazing on a mid-morning in September!

The views from the Swan Flat Overlook on the Terrace Mountain Loop, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — The views from the Swan Flat Overlook with Mt. Holmes and other peaks in the distance

From here, it’s a quick (if not terribly steep) descent back to the Howard Eaton Trail at mile 7.1. Turn left to return to the parking area a tenth of a mile later.

A small skipper on a dalmatian toadflax along the Terrace Mountain Loop, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — A small skipper on a dalmatian toadflax

For a little over 7 miles, it only took us the morning to do it! So while there are some steep grades, it’s also not a terribly difficult hike. (Though we’d also hiked about 75 miles in the week and a half previous, so that might have had something to do with my idea of an “easier” trail.) Plus, the views are awesome – and it’s unlikely that you’ll meet many people along the way. I call that a win-win!

Frosty leaves in the meadow of the Fawn Pass Trail, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Frosty leaves in the meadow

Round Trip Trail Length: I went 7.25 miles

Elevation Gain: 1,134ft. (7,466ft. to 6,861ft.)

Facilities: None, not even restrooms

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

Taking pictures of the meadows below Sepulcher Mountain on the Fawn Pass Trail, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Taking pictures of the meadows below Electric Peak

Trail Notes: The first half of the loop is fairly flat, while the second half is much steeper. Also, just going up to the Swan Flat Overlook would be worth the trek. And once you’re up there, you might want to continue to the Hoodoos area. So there are two ways to see part of the loop without the steepness of descending to the Snow Pass Trailhead. Of course, you’re also welcome to start at the Snow Pass Trailhead, since you more or less go right by it. The Snow Pass Trail and the Howard Eaton Trail to the Swan Flat Overlook are both signed for x-country skiers (mostly warning signs about steep grades, etc.) Most people who hike this are off to further destinations like Sepulcher Mountain, Fawn Pass, or various lakes – so it’s likely that you’ll have the trail to yourself. We saw maybe five people total in two groups, both of which were heading toward Sepulcher Mountain (not 100% sure of their final destination for the day).

Trail

Road

Signs

Scenery

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

Overall Rating:

Looking toward Joseph Peak (I think) behind the rim of the closer mountains on the Terrace Mountain Loop, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Looking toward Quadrant Mountain with the turning aspens in the meadows

GPS Coordinates for Terrace Mountain Loop

TH: 44.9337170°, -110.7302230° (44°56.02302′, -110°43.81338′ / 44°56’01.3812″, -110°43’48.8028″) (7,294ft.) (0.0)

Howard Eaton Junction (Fawn Pass Trail): 44.9335660°, -110.7317840° (44°56.01396′, -110°43.90704′ / 44°56’00.8376″, -110°43’54.4224″) (7,296ft.) (0.11)

Snow Pass Junction & Cutoff Trail: 44.9575960°, -110.7464090° (44°57.45576′, -110°44.78454′ / 44°57’27.3456″, -110°44’47.0724″) (7,399ft.) (2.10)

A few last views of the meadows while I headed up toward Snow Pass on the Terrace Mountain Loop, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — A few last views of the meadows while I headed up toward Snow Pass

Trail Junction: 44.9596060°, -110.7479120° (44°57.57636′, -110°44.87472′ / 44°57’34.5816″, -110°44’52.4832″) (7,434ft.) (2.30)

Cutoff Comes In: 44.9602480°, -110.7436210° (44°57.61488′, -110°44.61726′ / 44°57’36.8928″, -110°44’37.0356″) (7,406ft.) (2.53)

Clagett Butte Trail Junction: 44.9608170°, -110.7280240° (44°57.64902′, -110°43.68144′ / 44°57’38.9412″, -110°43’40.8864″) (7,288ft.) (3.40)

Heartleaf Arnica flower along the Terrace Mountain Loop, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Heartleaf Arnica

Bunson Peak Viewpoint: 44.9594620°, -110.7164870° (44°57.56772′, -110°42.98922′ / 44°57’34.0632″, -110°42’59.3532″) (6,975ft.) (4.15)

Snow Pass/Howard Eaton-Mammoth-Golden Gate Junction: 44.9592280°, -110.7150870° (44°57.55368′, -110°42.90522′ / 44°57’33.2208″, -110°42’54.3132″) (6,872ft.) (4.35)

End of rock jumble: 44.9432430°, -110.7243700° (44°56.59458′, -110°43.46220′ / 44°56’35.6748″, -110°43’27.7320″) (7,291ft.) (5.97)

Heading for the Hoodoos on the Terrace Mountain Loop, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Heading for the Hoodoos

Swan Flat Viewpoint: 44.9361280°, -110.7237670° (44°56.16768′, -110°43.42602′ / 44°56’10.0608″, -110°43’25.5612″) (7,434ft.) (6.57)

Return to Howard Eaton Junction: 44.9335900°, -110.7317690° (44°56.01540′, -110°43.90614′ / 44°56’00.9240″, -110°43’54.3684″) (7,297ft.) (7.15)

End at TH: 44.9337280°, -110.7302490° (44°56.02368′, -110°43.81494′ / 44°56’01.4208″, -110°43’48.8964″) (7,294ft.) (7.26)

The trail through the Hoodoos on the Terrace Mountain Loop, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — The trail through the Hoodoos

The gpx file for the Terrace Mountain Loop 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.

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(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!)

Map at the Glen Creek Trailhead, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Map at the Glen Creek Trailhead

Getting to Terrace Mountain Loop Trailhead (Glen Creek Trailhead)

From Mammoth, drive south on US-89 for 4.8 miles. The Glen Creek Trailhead will be on the right just after exiting the Golden Gate and just before the Bunson Peak Trailhead on the left side of the road. Turn into the gravel lot and park.

Map at the Snow Pass Trailhead, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Map at the Snow Pass Trailhead

From Norris Junction, drive north on US-89. After 16.2 miles, turn left into the Glen Creek Trailhead just after passing the Bunson Peak Trailhead on the right. The gravel lot is set just off the road.

Visual trail map and elevation profile of my loop around Terrace Mountain

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