If you are anything like me, and you probably are if you are reading this post, you love a good hike. It is one my favorite activities, especially when visiting a national park. With that in mind, I put together a list of the best hikes in Yellowstone for families.
This collection of hikes range from easy day hikes to more strenuous trail options that lead to a stunning panoramic view.
While I lived in Bozeman, I was able to visit Yellowstone National Park over 15 times. Each trip has been a little different experience. Sometimes we visited with our mothers and mostly drove around to the sights. Other times, we visited a very specific area of the park and discovered its treasures.
Throughout the years of visiting, we haven’t even really touched the surface. Yellowstone is such a huge national park and much of the land goes untouched by visitors. Unless you are camping in the backcountry, it can be difficult to reach the unspoiled lakes and waterfalls you might be craving to set your eyes on.
Thankfully, there are many other places in the park that are very accessible for families to enjoy. Yellowstone is set up in a family-friendly way, with short trails that lead to the most beautiful natural attractions.
You have many hiking trails to choose from. My list of the the best hikes in Yellowstone for families include treks that I think bring something special or show you an interesting area of the park you may not visit otherwise.
So, let’s get started.
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7 Best Hikes In Yellowstone For Families
Hiking in Yellowstone is not as difficult as many other national parks. There are still mountains, but you can also find many flat interesting areas to explore.
The unstable nature of the land pocketed with hot springs in some areas, means you will find more boardwalks and stairs than dirt trails and switchbacks.
If you are searching for dramatic peaks, you visited the wrong park. Instead you will be hiking amongst bison and bears in the Serengeti of North America or timing your hiking with geyser eruptions instead of when the thunderstorms might strike.
Let’s explore where you can have these unique experiences in this collection of Yellowstone hikes for families.
Lamar River Trail
- Distance: 31.8 mi / 51.2 km
- Elevation gain: 3520 ft / 1073 m
- Average time: 13 – 14.5 hours
I have started off with a choose your own adventure hike in Yellowstone. The Lamar River Trail is long. You can hike the whole thing if you really want, but my guess is that you won’t. At 31.8 miles out and back, it would take all day to conquer it.
The Lamar River Trail isn’t about completing the whole thing, however. One exciting thing about hiking in Yellowstone is the opportunity to see animals out in the wild and wildlife is usually abundant on this trek.
We set out in the late afternoon with our two kids, 8 and 10 years old at the time, and my mother-in-law who was nearing 80. We knew this wasn’t going to be a long hike for our group, but we were ready to stretch our legs from being in the car.
Straightaway you go down a small hill and cross a bridge over the Soda Butte Creek, a shoot off from the Lamar River. For the first couple miles the elevation doesn’t change much, which was perfect for our small group.
We slowly meandered down the exposed trail in search of bison and pronghorns. Our bear spray was attached to our hip as we went as well. Grizzlies can be found in the area.
We saw only a couple of bison and a few ground squirrels on our adventure that summer down the Lamar River Trail. For better luck hiking with animals, plan your trek in the morning or at dusk when animals are frequently on the move.
Grand Prismatic Overlook and Fairy Falls
- Distance: 4.8 mi / 7.7 km
- Elevation gain: 170 ft / 52 m
- Average time: 1.5 to 2 hours
For one of the best easy hikes in Yellowstone, check out the overlook trail to Grand Prismatic and Fairy Falls. What I like the most about this trail is that it is super easy for the kids, and combines a beautiful view of the most colorful hot spring in Yellowstone and a pretty waterfall.
The waterfall itself is not the most beautiful one in Yellowstone, if I’m being honest. If you are traveling with little kids though, it is a fantastic option. The trails is mostly flat making it nice for young kids to use their own legs and not have to be carried the whole time.
The flat trail goes through a wooded area, that isn’t too thick with trees. At the end, you will find a nice area to sit and have a snack at the bottom of the falls.
There are some important things to mention about this hike. The trailhead parking can get very busy because the overlook to Grand Prismatic Sprig is a very popular section of this trail. Most people park, hike to the overlook and turn around and go back.
After the lookout, the crowds thin. You won’t be alone on the trail, but it won’t be as busy either. To me, that’s the perfect recipe for a hike in bear country.
Upper Geyser Basin
- Distance: 6 – 10 miles / 9.6 – 16 km (approx.)
- Elevation gain: 200 ft / 61 m
- Average time: 3 to 5 hours
The Upper Geyser Basin is one of my favorite areas to walk around. The concentration of geysers and hot springs in this area is truly special. We have gone many times and it is never boring, and we always end up seeing a new geyser erupt.
Sometimes we plan to visit a specific geyser’s eruption time, like Grand Geyser, and other times it is an incredible surprise when the water sprays in the air.
This is one of the best easy day hikes in Yellowstone too. The winding trail mostly consists of wooden boardwalks that weave their way around the various geysers and hot springs in the area. You can go as far or as short of a distance as you want depending on which geysers peak your interest, and it is pretty flat.
I would recommend starting at Old Faithful. The parking lot is huge, and you will easily be able to find a spot to park, even in the summer.
Then head right and take the path towards to Observation Point trailhead. I actually don’t think I’ve ever been up to Observation Point or Solitary Geyser, but you would veer right at the intersection if you want to go there.
Normally, we continue straight towards Geyser Hill. There is a loop here you can go around. Then make your way towards Grand Geyser. Keep wandering in that direction until you reach Morning Glory Pool.
On the way back you can travel down the Upper Geyser Basin Trail, which is a pretty much straight shot back to the car. It is about 1 mile to get back.
Pro Tip: Want to see Morning Glory Pool, but don’t want to walk all morning. Use the paved path straight there, then on the way back only visit the geysers that interest you. There are a few areas where you can enter the boardwalk paths from the paved area to gain access.
Plan Your Hike Around The Geysers
Old Faithful is not the only geyser in this area that erupts fairly consistently. Yellowstone National Park tracks when the latest eruptions happened for the most consistent geysers and posts the information in the visitor center and on the website.
For example, we luckily saw Riverside geyser erupt one time, pictured above. This amazing geyser by the river, hence the name, erupts for a good 20 minutes at a time. It doesn’t, however erupt as frequently as some of the others. It erupts every 6 hours and 30 minutes (+/- 30 minutes).
For a comparison, Old Faithful erupts every 94 or 68 minutes and lasts only 1.5 to 5 minutes. Much shorter, but much more often.
Keep in mind that, while geysers are pretty consistent, there is still some variance. Even Old Faithful isn’t exactly every 94 or 68 minutes. There is a 20-minute window where it could burst early or late.
Other geysers to keep your eye on in the Upper Geyser Basin:
- Castle – lasts 15 to 20 minutes, erupts every 13 hours and 30 minutes (+/- 45 minutes)
- Daisy – lasts 3.5 minutes, erupts every 2 hours and 45 minutes (+/- 30 minutes)
- Grand – lasts 8 to 12 minutes, erupts every 6 hours and 30 minutes (+/- 60 minutes)
*All of these eruption times are from the Yellowstone National Park Service Website.
Get more specific times on when the geysers last erupted on the official site. See if any have the possibility of erupting when you are visiting and try to plan your hike around it!
Sometimes you get lucky and other times you wait forever. It is usually worth the wait, though. And if you don’t get lucky with some of the other geysers, there’s always Old Faithful.
Lone Star Geyser
- Distance: 5.3 miles / 8.5 km
- Elevation gain: 127 ft / 39 m
- Average time: 1.5 to 2 hours
The main area around Old Faithful in the Upper Geyser Basin isn’t the only area where you can witness geysers throwing hot water in the air. One of the best hikes in Yellowstone for families that is off the beaten path is Lone Star Geyser.
Imagine witnessing a geyser without anyone else around? That’s what happened to us when we hiked to Lone Star. We specifically planned to hike this trail on one of our visits to Yellowstone in the summer of 2023.
My best friend Jody recommended it to us. She has been to even more areas of Yellowstone than I have and knows all the best spots.
Read more of her recommendations in my local travel guide to Yellowstone here: Plan The Best Family Trip To Yellowstone National Park
This hike didn’t go exactly as planned. On our way, we saw this big blinking sign that said that the Lone Star Geyser trailhead was closed. Oh no.
Right before arriving to the trailhead, we noticed this small dirt parking lot for the Howard Eaton Trailhead. Now this is not the official trailhead or the correct trail. We looked at the sign, however, and it looked like we could still make it to Lone Star Geyser from there and not go too far out of our way.
There was only one other car in the lot. We had no idea how this was going to go, but we were up for the adventure.
Note: The normal trailhead has a larger parking lot and the path is paved much of the way. You can take a stroller or bike up until the last few hundred feet.
We took off down our unofficial trail, and it seemed we were going in the correct direction. So, we kept going. Eventually the random trail we were on met up with the official Lone Star Geyser trail near the very end. This was also the moment we passed the only other people we saw on the trail.
We asked them if they saw the Lone Star Geyser erupt, and they said we had just missed it. We were so bummed.
This is the downside to this hike. Lone Star Geyser erupts every 3 hours or so, but it doesn’t have its eruption times posted online. You don’t know if you will arrive right right on time or miss it by seconds. You have to get a little lucky.
We seriously contemplated turning around and going back. If we would have been further away from arriving, we probably would have. Actually my husband and kids were ready to give up, but I reminded them that it wasn’t that much further. Let’s just go see it.
As you get closer, the trees open up and you see this seemingly random, steaming spout sticking out of the ground in the middle of nowhere. The Firehole River is nearby. It’s a beautiful area.
After a few pictures and exploring around, we started to head back. Before we left the area, however, we noticed a little activity coming from Lone Star Geyser. So we waited a little longer.
Only a few minutes later, we were surprised by steaming bursts of water spraying from the top. It was erupting again! And so soon!
Not everyone is going to get as lucky as we did, so if you are planning to do this hike on your Yellowstone vacation, this is what I would recommend.
- Plan out a 3-hour chunk of your day around mid-day.
- Pack a lunch.
- Hike or bike to Lone Star Geyser
- When you arrive, check the register to see when the last eruption was.
- Have a picnic lunch nearby while you wait for the show to begin
Pro Tip: Wear bug spray. We were eaten alive by mosquitos on this trail!
Read more about Lone Star Geyser in our complete hiking guide: Lone Star Geyser: An Easy Hike Like No Other In Yellowstone National Park
Mount Washburn
- Distance: 6.8 mi / 10.9 km
- Elevation gain: 1395 ft / 425 m
- Average time: 3 hours and 30 minutes
If you want to see panoramic views while hiking in Yellowstone, Mount Washburn is a very nice option. It is one of the more popular day hikes in Yellowstone.
I haven’t personally hiked this one but my good friend Jody has and highly recommends it for the views.
There are two trailheads, one is the Dunraven Pass Trailhead and the other is at the Chittenden Road parking area.
Please Note: These trailheads are only accessible by car between late-May to mid-October when the Dunraven Pass between Tower Fall and Canyon is open.
Bunsen Peak
- Distance: 4.4 mi / 7.1 km
- Elevation gain: 1282 ft / 391 m
- Average time: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Another one of the best hikes in Yellowstone for families that want to experience a beautiful view is Bunsen Peak. This is another recommended hike by my friend Jody.
If you are looking for a short but steep hike in the northern part of the park near Mammoth Hot Springs, Bunsen is the one I’d choose. You will get your blood pumping on this hike, but it isn’t too steep that it’s unenjoyable.
You’ll make your way through forests, and then take in picturesque views at the end. Keep on the look out for mountain goats and deer too.
Gardner Lake
- Distance: 1.6 mi / 2.6 km
- Elevation gain: 574 ft / 175 m
- Average time: 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes
The main reason I added the Gardner Lake Trail to this list is because I believe more people need to drive the Beartooth Highway, and this hike is a wonderful mid-way point where you can stretch your legs.
Gardner Lake comes into view right away as you descend down the hill and only takes about a half hour to reach its shore. The way back up is more strenuous of course, but it will be worth it.
It poured rain on us when we hiked to the bottom, so we didn’t spend much time at the lake, but the views were beautiful all along the way.
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Hiking In Yellowstone Tips
When hiking in Yellowstone, or anywhere in grizzly bear country, you need to follow some important rules in order to keep everyone safe.
- The first rule is to always carry bear spray with you. It is important that you carry it where it is easy to grab. Don’t throw it in your backpack and think you will be able to grab it in time. Bears are big and scary and fast. If you see one, there will be no time to stop, dig through your pack and find the bear spray. I wear mine attached to the strap of my backpack or strapped to a belt.
- You can easily get bear spray near Yellowstone. Many hotels will either let you borrow a can, let you rent some or can direct you to the nearest store.
- When hiking in bear country, you should always be vigilant. Keep your eyes peeled for any movement.
- That also means listening for sounds. It is not a good idea to wear ear buds or headphones while hiking in Yellowstone. You need to be able to hear if an animal is nearby. I wasn’t in Yellowstone, but one time I was hiking with one ear bud in and almost got run over by a moose. Scariest experience of my life. I won’t make that mistake again.
- It is also smart to hike in groups of three people or more. It is less common that a bear would attack if you are with a few other people.
- While you are hiking, make noise. This can be talking normally. If you are hiking alone, make sounds every so often. This notifies the bears or other animals in the area that someone is coming. The most common reason bears attack is because they were surprised.
- Always remember that the animals in Yellowstone are wild. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard in the news of people getting attacked by a bison or elk or moose because they got too close. Keep your distance. Don’t try to take a selfie with the animals. This will not end well.
- The last word of advice is to bring bug spray. We sometimes forgot this one because there aren’t that many mosquitos in Bozeman. Our hike to Lone Star Geyser, for example, we were swatting at mosquitos the whole way. Makes it a much less pleasant hike when you get bit every few minutes.
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Final Words For Hiking In Yellowstone
I hope this list of the best hikes in Yellowstone for families guides you to some exciting areas in the park where you can see pretty waterfalls, picturesque views and some exciting animal spotting from a safe distance.
If you have any questions about hikes in Yellowstone, drop a comment below! I’m happy to help.
