Yellowstone Lake Area in Yellowstone National Park

Avalanche Peak

Looking for the best bang for your buck? It’s tough to beat this peak, which delivers fantastic panoramas of the park’s remote corners in just 2.1 miles. Of course, you’ll have to work for it—the trail rises a vertiginous 2,100 feet in that distance—but keep your eyes on the prize. The 10,566-foot summit is in view for most of the climb up talus slopes and narrow ridgelines, and once you get there, you’ll have unimpeded views over Yellowstone Lake and across to many of the park’s craggiest peaks, such as Hoyt Peak, Mount Sheridan, Mount Stevenson, and Top Notch. The window to ascend to these heights is narrow: It’s often snow-covered into July, and increased grizzly bear activity makes fall a dicey proposition. Be alert for lightning risks anytime.

4.2 miles round-trip. Difficult. Access: Trailhead is 8 miles west of the East Entrance.

Elephant Back Loop Trail

Here’s an opportunity to look down (literally!) on the island-dotted expanse of Yellowstone Lake, the Absaroka Range, and the Pelican Valley. This is a great photo opportunity and a fairly easy hike for a novice.

3.5 miles round-trip. Moderate. Access: From the east, the trailhead is on the right side of the road, just before the turnoff for the Lake Yellowstone Hotel.

Pelican Valley Trail

This trip across marshy meadows and alongside a peaceful creek could be either a hiker’s dream or nightmare—depending how you feel about grizzly bears. The remote Pelican Valley is some of the best grizzly habitat in the continental U.S., and as such, the park restricts hiking to daytime, and only after July 4. If that excites rather than terrifies you, get a group of at least four and strike out into the wide-open valley. The trail wanders through meadows and traces the meandering Pelican Creek, where you might also see bison, wolves, elk, and eagles. The washed-out bridge across the creek at mile 3.1 makes a good turnaround point, but the trail extends all the way into the Lamar Valley for multiday excursions.

6.2 miles round-trip. Easy. Access: Trailhead is 3 miles east of Fishing Bridge, just past Storm Point/Indian Pond Trail.

Storm Point Loop

One of the park’s nicest lakeside rambles, this trail begins at Indian Pond and passes through a pine forest before popping out at Storm Point, the rocky western corner hemming in Mary Bay. You’ll gaze across the lake to views of Stevenson Island, distant Mount Sheridan, and the Tetons. Bonus: Marmot sightings are practically guaranteed on a stony outcrop near the shore. Grizzlies frequent the area in spring and early summer, so check with rangers to make sure the trail is open to hikers.

2.3 miles round-trip. Easy. Access: Trailhead is 3 miles east of Fishing Bridge, directly across from the Pelican Valley Trailhead (on the lake side of the road).