Trout Lake Yellowstone NP: Easily the Best Family-Friendly Hike

Yellowstone National Park is enormous and with so many incredible options for hikes, it can be hard to decide which one would be a good fit for your family. We recently took our kids to Yellowstone for the first time, and everyone absolutely loved hiking the trail at Trout Lake (Yellowstone NP).

We’re excited to share the top five reasons Trout Lake Trail easily gets our pick for the Best Family-Friendly Hike at Yellowstone National Park. Plus, we’ve included our tips for hiking at Trout Lake Trail, as well as trails throughout the park.

Grab your hiking gear and let’s go!

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Top 5 Reasons We Picked Trout Lake Trail as the Best Family-Friendly Hike at Yellowstone NP

#1: Location, Location, Location!

Hands-down, the #1 reason we love this hike is its location. Trout Lake Trail is a back country hike, that’s not too far off the beaten path and the scenery is absolutely stunning! Plus, the trailhead is located just north of Lamar Valley, making it a great addition to your itinerary when exploring the area.

Trout Lake Trail is a 1.2 mile loop, which is very doable with kids. It took us just over an hour to hike, with plenty of stops along the way. The beginning of the trail is at a slight incline which, for us, wasn’t too steep. A dirt trail winds through towering trees and then lets out overlooking Trout Lake, with the mountains in the distance.

Once you reach Trout Lake, the trail then continues around the entire lake’s edge and brings your right back to where you first started the loop.

We highly recommend Trout Lake Trail if you’re looking for a backcountry adventure with kids that’s not too long or too far off the beaten path.

#2: The Pristine Water and Incredible Reflection

First, I cannot say enough how crystal clear and still Trout Lake’s water is. When we visited mid-morning, the sunlight was hitting the surface just right, making for great opportunities to see aquatic wildlife and spectacular images on the water.

The reflection of the mountains on the lake’s surface is beyond words. It literally left me speechless. Not only is the water very clear, it’s also extremely still, making for mirror-like images on its surface. A great spot for photographers, artists and little explorers to get inspired.

Yes, Trout Lake is actually home to trout too! We were able to see them swimming near the shoreline, along with snakes and frogs.

Plus, Trout Lake is open for fishing (with a valid Yellowstone National Park fishing permit) from the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend through the first Sunday in November. Fishers are not allowed to fish in the Trout Lake inlet stream and delta. Check out Fish in Yellowstone’s Northeast – Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) for more information.

#3: Bridges to Cross Along the Trail at Trout Lake Yellowstone

If your kids are like mine, then they love crossing bridges of all sizes! Before we visited Trout Lake, we hadn’t seen any photos of the trail at all and had no idea what to expect. We were so happy to see two wooden bridges we could cross as we made our way around the lake.

The bridge on the northern edge of the lake (pictured below) is the shorter of the two. It extends over a stream that lets out into Trout Lake. Perfect for letting kids take a moment to stop and look over the edge to see what is passing underneath them.

On the southeastern edge of the lake is a longer wooden bridge, with a handrail along one side. Younger kids will obviously need additional supervision when crossing this bridge due to the open sides.

These wooden bridges are sure to add a little adventure to your family’s hike too!

#4: Secluded and Less Crowded

Even though Trout Lake Trail isn’t too far off the beaten path, it felt as if we were far away from everything.  We encountered only a handful of other hikers on our journey, which may vary for you depending on what time of year you visit.  (Our family hiked the first week of September.)

The silence and seclusion were honestly beautiful.  You’ll find plenty of stopping points along the trail to pause and enjoy the serenity.

Trout Lake Trail is a hidden gem that offers incredible untouched beauty and solitude. This hike is a great opportunity for your family to disconnect from the world and reconnect with nature.

#5: Towering Trees and Wonderful Wildflowers

Indeed, if you like tall trees, you’re sure to love hiking at Trout Lake Trail.  The trailhead, near the information sign, is in a wide-open space, however, don’t let that fool you.

Shortly after starting off on the trail, we were surrounded by a dense forest of towering trees.  Parts of the trail are denser than others as you wind your way to the lake.  

Depending on the season, certain portions of the path have wildflowers and colorful vegetation alongside them.  Our visit was the first week of September and we were treated to red, yellow and purple patches of color.

If you are hoping to see wildflowers during your visit, be sure to check Yellowstone National Park’s website for information on when various plants bloom throughout the park.

Tips to Help Plan Your Hike at Trout Lake Yellowstone NP

Yellowstone National Park is full of incredible hikes with many different levels of difficulty. Before putting on your hiking boots and hitting the trails, it’s a great idea to do some planning beforehand to make your hike more enjoyable.

Trail Guide

A good hardcopy of a trail guide is important to have with you on your adventure and when planning. I wouldn’t suggest relying on mobile devices for maps, as cell phone service inside Yellowstone National Park is extremely limited.

We actually discovered the Trout Lake Trail in A Ranger’s Guide to Yellowstone Day Hikes (page 56). A friend of ours recommended this guide to us, after using it to do a lot of backcountry hiking in Yellowstone.

Ultimately, we loved this trail guide for its very detailed description of each featured hike, as well as trail maps and information regarding terrain, distance of each trail, estimated time to complete, inclines and difficulty level. Excellent and easy to understand.

Tips for Hiking Trout Lake Trail Yellowstone National Park

• Parking is limited. Parking spaces are limited at the start of the trail (see photo below). Thankfully, we were lucky enough to get an open spot in the morning, however spaces are first come, first served. Overall, from our experience, the earlier, the better when doing trails and finding parking spots at Yellowstone. Obviously, this can vary depending on season and park attendance for the day. If you don’t find a spot right away, take some deep breaths of fresh mountain air and keep trying.
• Great hike to schedule on same day as Lamar Valley. We hiked Trout Lake Trail mid- morning after spending some time in Lamar Valley. The best time to see wildlife active in Lamar Valley is very early morning or early evening. Undoubtably, you’ll likely do a lot of driving if you visit Lamar Valley. Therefore, Trout Lake Trail (just North of Lamar Valley) is perfect for stretching your legs when in the area. We found the natural sunlight during mid-morning perfect for taking photos of this incredible hidden lake.
• Walk the entire loop around the lake. It can be tempting to just walk a portion of the trail and then turn around to “save time and explore other areas of the park”. Don’t miss out on the beauty as seen from the other side of the lake. Not only is the view of the mountains breathtaking, but so is the towering trees you’ll see surrounding the water from the “mountain side” of the lake. It’s such a quaint, quiet, cozy little lake, you’re sure to notice the pristine solitude too!
• Be prepared. Check out our tips (below) for Hiking Yellowstone National Park!

Tips for Hiking in Yellowstone National Park

Before You Start Your Hike

• Before you start your hike, let someone know back home where you will be exploring that day and which trails you intend to hike. Again, cell phone service is pretty scarce in Yellowstone National Park, so you likely won’t be able to alert someone once it’s “too late”. Let others know where you are going ahead of time and when you plan to return, in case any problems arise.
• Check the Weather and Alerts. Before starting off on your hiking adventure, you should check www.nps.gov for the weather and any alerts, so you can plan accordingly. A road was closed when we visited, and we had to reroute to get to our destination. Had we not checked beforehand, we would’ve spent a ton of time driving only to learn what we could’ve with the click of a button.

Things to Bring on Your Hike

• Bring a hard copy of a map/trail guide. Again, cell phone service is very limited in Yellowstone NP. It’s a great idea to have a hard copy of a map or trail guide with you. We loved A Ranger’s Guide to Yellowstone Day Hikes for its very detailed description of each featured hike. It is full of trail maps and information regarding terrain, distance of each trail, estimated time to complete, inclines and difficulty level. Excellent and easy to understand.
• Bring Bear Spray with you and have it easily accessible clipped to your backpack or waistband. A canister of Bear Spray can cost around $60 to purchase near Yellowstone National Park. Daily rental options are also available in some areas. Some vacation rentals offer a canister with your amenities, just ask if you don’t see it on the listing. Keep your bear spray easily accessible by clipping it to your waistband or backpack when hiking.
• Carry a Backpack. I know it’s obvious, but I’d recommend a backpack to carry snacks, water, sunscreen, sweatshirts (higher elevations can be chilly), extra socks (in case it rains… you don’t want blisters), portable phone battery, camera, etc.
• Water and snacks are an absolute must when hiking the trails. You’ll be using a lot of energy exploring and you’ll need to hydrate and refuel your body. Plus, don’t forget wildlife can smell the food too, so be alert when eating.

Good to Know

• Get the scoop on scat! You’ll definitely want to be familiar with how to identify animal droppings. I know it’s gross, but learn how to identify bear, bison, elk, wolf, coyote and horse droppings as well as how to determine if they’re fresh. Yes, horse droppings… you’ll see lots of it on the trails and you don’t want to be worried you’re surrounded by a large pack of predators. Hiking in the wide-open backcountry means you have to be aware of your surroundings, especially signs of wild animals in the area. Identifying scat/tracks is a good way to know who else may be enjoying the great outdoors too in your area. There are great books for kids and adults on identifying scat/tracks at Yellowstone.
• Wear appropriate footwear. Properly fitting hiking shoes or tennis shoes are an absolute must, even on the trails with portions of boardwalks. Yellowstone National Park is “America the Beautiful” at its absolute finest and wildest! Loose rocks, dirt paths, scratchy brush, mud, loose boards on boardwalks and animal droppings are all things you’ll likely encounter while hiking. Sorry flip-flops, sandals and crocs… you should definitely sit hiking at Yellowstone out!
• Bathroom Stuff. Yellowstone National Park is HUGE. There are limited “port-o-potty” buildings scattered along the roadways, so you’ll need to plan your potty breaks accordingly. My advice, if you see one… stop and use it. Many of the backcountry hiking trails aren’t near the more popular tourist places, with modern bathroom facilities. We did come across modern bathrooms at the North Entrance Albright Visitor Center, Old Faithful Visitor Center, and Norris Geyser Basin.

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