Trip Idea

Day Hikes in the Tower & Northeast Area

Multiple Parks

Mother and daughter hike up a trail with mountain scenery behind them.
Duration Full Day
Topic(s) Trails
Activities Hiking
Type Kid Friendly, Active, Solitary/Remote, Inspirational, Outdoors, Group Friendly
Parks Yellowstone National Park

Two hikers ascend the trail leading up to mountain views.
No two trails in Yellowstone are alike, and some provide new perspectives on areas you might have visited before.

NPS/Dave Krueger

Day Hikes in the Tower & Northeast Area
  • Yellowstone National Park

    Garnet Hill Trail

    • Activity Fee: No (Entrance fees may apply)
    • Reservations: No
    • Activity: Hiking
    • Pets: No
    • Location: Tower Junction
    • Duration: 4–5 Hours
    • Season: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
    • Time of Day: Any Time
    Hikers along a tan, bare ground trail through sagebrush.

    Follow a stagecoach route on a meadow journey around Garnet Hill.

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  • Yellowstone National Park

    Hellroaring Trail

    • Activity Fee: No (Entrance fees may apply)
    • Reservations: No
    • Activity: Hiking
    • Pets: No
    • Location: Tower Junction
    • Duration: 3–5 Hours
    • Season: Summer, Fall
    • Time of Day: Any Time
    Hiker surveys the mountain scene while bison graze near a pond.

    Descend down to the Yellowstone River, then continue on through a sagebrush plateau to Hellroaring Creek.

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  • Yellowstone National Park

    Lost Lake Trail

    • Activity Fee: No (Entrance fees may apply)
    • Reservations: No
    • Activity: Hiking
    • Pets: No
    • Location: Tower Junction
    • Duration: 1–2 Hours
    • Season: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
    • Time of Day: Any Time
    View of a valley and surrounding mountains from atop a hill.

    Hike along a trail that offers views of Lost Lake, waterfowl, sagebrush hilltops, wildflowers, possibly beavers, and quite often black bears.

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  • Yellowstone National Park

    Slough Creek Trail

    • Activity Fee: No (Entrance fees may apply)
    • Reservations: No
    • Activity: Hiking
    • Pets: No
    • Location: Northeast
    • Duration: 2–5 Hours
    • Season: Summer, Fall
    • Time of Day: Any Time
    Hikers coming back down the trail.

    Follow a historic wagon trail that heads toward the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness beyond Yellowstone.

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  • Yellowstone National Park

    Specimen Ridge Day Hike Trail

    • Activity Fee: No (Entrance fees may apply)
    • Reservations: No
    • Activity: Hiking
    • Pets: No
    • Location: Northeast
    • Duration: 2–4 Hours
    • Season: Summer, Fall
    • Time of Day: Any Time
    Two hikers look out across a sweeping valley.

    Hike up to a ridge for magnificent views of Slough Creek Valley and the Absaroka Range.

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  • Yellowstone National Park

    Trout Lake Trail

    • Activity Fee: No (Entrance fees may apply)
    • Reservations: No
    • Activity: Hiking
    • Pets: No
    • Location: Northeast
    • Duration: 1–2 Hours
    • Season: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
    • Time of Day: Any Time
    A lone hiker travels along the trail on the far side of the lake.

    Enjoy a short hill climb through Douglas-fir forest to Trout Lake.

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  • Yellowstone National Park

    Yellowstone River Picnic Area Trail

    • Activity Fee: No (Entrance fees may apply)
    • Reservations: No
    • Activity: Hiking
    • Pets: No
    • Location: Tower Junction
    • Duration: 2–3 Hours
    • Season: Summer, Fall
    • Time of Day: Any Time
    The Yellowstone River cuts an s-shaped curve through the valley near Tower Fall.

    Follow the rim of the Yellowstone River valley, enjoying views of bighorn sheep, the Narrows of the Yellowstone, Overhanging Cliff, and the towers of Tower Falls.

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Last updated: May 1, 2023