West Thumb and Grant Village

Lewis River Channel and Dogshead Loop

Distance: 11 miles round-trip
Duration: 6-8 hours
Elevation: 7,780 feet
Effort: moderate
Trailhead: Dogshead Trailhead just north of Lewis Lake on west side of road (5 miles south of Grant Village [1])

Choose between two trails—or combine them into a loop hike—to Shoshone Lake. The four-mile-long Dogshead Trail is more direct, while the seven-mile Lewis Channel Trail takes a much more scenic trek via the channel connecting Shoshone and Lewis lakes. This slow-flowing creek is popular with anglers who come to fish for brown and cutthroat trout during the fall spawning season, and it’s also used by canoeists and kayakers heading into Shoshone Lake. Much of the Lewis Lake area was burned in the 1988 fires.

Yellowstone Lake Overlook

Distance: 2 miles round-trip
Duration: 30 minutes
Elevation: 7,750 feet
Effort: moderate
Trailhead: on the right as you enter West Thumb Geyser Basin parking area

This fine day hike gains 400 feet in elevation in one mile, enough for a commanding vista across the lake, with the Absaroka Mountains behind.

DeLacy Creek Trail

Distance: 6 miles round-trip
Duration: 2-3 hours
Elevation: 7,950 feet
Effort: easy
Trailhead: DeLacy Creek Trailhead (9 miles west of West Thumb Junction)

This trail provides access to Shoshone Lake—Yellowstone’s largest backcountry lake—which is circled by more trails. Keep your eyes open for moose, sandhill cranes, and other animals in the meadows along the way.