Two short hikes from West Thumb

Yellowstone Lake Overlook Trail is a loop of a little over 2 miles (3.2 km). Start by walking southwest from the West Thumb parking lot. After crossing the South Entrance Road (where there’s limited roadside parking), turn right for the shortest way to the top of Savage Hill, so called by concessionaire employees, who call themselves Savages. Pass a riot of wildflowers in the burned forest, and notice a couple of modest combinations of mud pots, fumaroles, and hot pools on your way up the moderately strenuous 400-foot (120 m) climb. On a clear day, you’ll be rewarded with a fantastic view of much of the lake and its surrounding mountains. You can take the Duck Lake Trail northwest from the same West Thumb parking area. Duck Lake Trailhead is shown by a painted pedestrian crosswalk that crosses the Grand Loop Road north of West Thumb Junction. This hike is about one-half mile (0.8 km) through burned forest to a view of Duck Lake and crater, the last part of the trail goes steeply another one-third mile (0.5 km) to its up and down over the crater’s edge. shore. Since Duck Lake is in an explosion.

Two short hikes from West Thumb Photo Gallery



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