Wyoming trails · Heart Lake Trail

Heart Lake Trail

A 18.9-mile network in Wyoming, with 811 ft of climbing. Reaches Double Spring and other lake/spring destinations. Managed by NPS – Yellowstone NP.

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Length

18.9 mi

Elevation gain

811 ft

Difficulty

Expert

Max grade

22%

Steepest mile

+513 ft

Tread at ≥10% grade

1.6 mi

Shape

network

Dogs

Bikes

Managed by

NPS – Yellowstone NP

Elevation profile

The climbing leans toward the final third: 49% of the ascent falls between mile 12.6 and mile 18.9. It gives back about 1,276 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5

Reaches

Double Spring (spring)
Basin Creek Lake (lake)
Heart Lake Geyser (spring)
Sheridan Lake (lake)
Heart Lake (lake)

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.

Getting there

Heart Lake Trailhead — parking nearby, restroom. About 2 h 01 min drive (73 mi) from Jackson. 44.31744, -110.59825 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:06 a.m., the sun rises at 7:35 a.m. and sets at 6:40 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:09 p.m. (MDT) — 11 h 04 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 18.9-mile route takes roughly 7 h 24 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 3:00 p.m. — 3 h 40 min before sunset.