Wyoming trails · Upper Geyser Basin Trail

Upper Geyser Basin Trail

A 2.3-mile out-and-back in Wyoming, with 55 ft of climbing. Reaches Penta Geyser and other spring destinations. Managed by NPS – Yellowstone NP.

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Length

2.3 mi

Elevation gain

55 ft

Difficulty

Easy

Max grade

Steepest mile

+45 ft

Shape

out-and-back

Dogs

Bikes

Managed by

NPS – Yellowstone NP

Elevation profile

Essentially flat — no sustained climb anywhere along its 3.6 miles.

3-D terrain

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

Reaches

Penta Geyser (spring)
Belgian Pool (spring)
Tortoise Shell Spring (spring)
Rift Geyser (spring)
Bulger Geyser (spring)
Economic Geyser Crater (spring)
Chimney Cone (spring)
Chromatic Pool (spring)
Chinese Spring (spring)
Crested Pool (spring)

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.

Getting there

Upper Geyser Basin Trail junction — parking nearby, restroom. 44.45915, -110.82934 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:14 a.m., the sun rises at 6:44 a.m. and sets at 8:01 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:31 p.m. (MDT) — 13 h 17 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 4.6-mile round trip takes roughly 1 h 46 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 8:30 a.m. — 11 h 31 min before sunset.