Hiking the Avalanche Peak Trail in Yellowstone National Park
Distance: 4.6 miles / 7.4 km
Elevation Gain: ~2,070 ft. / 631 m
Between Avalanche Peak, Mt. Washburn, Bunsen Peak, and Purple Mountain, Avalanche Peak is by far the best summit in Yellowstone National Park!
I would even go to as far to say that Avalanche Peak is the best day hike in Yellowstone!
Avalanche Peak Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Avalanche Peak Trail is located directly off of U.S. 14 on the left-hand side when coming into the park from Cody, or on the right-hand side when driving up from Yellowstone Lake.
If you’re coming from Cody, the trailhead will be 7.7 miles (12.4 km) into the park from the east Yellowstone entrance.
Google Maps Directions: Avalanche Peak Trailhead
Hiking Checklist - Yellowstone-Tetons
Here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in the Yellowstone-Teton area.
Hiking the Avalanche Peak Trail
From the parking lot, the Avalanche Peak Trail begins directly across the highway.
Make sure that someone in your group is hiking with bear spray. Yellowstone in general, but more specifically Sylvan Pass, where the trail is located, is notorious for being a high bear activity area.
This is especially true in September and October.
Unlike other trails in Yellowstone that climb a series of switchbacks, the Avalanche Peak Trail climbs straight up the side of the mountain.
That’s why from the trailhead to the summit, there is really no break from the constant uphill.
This open meadow makes for a nice mental checkpoint on the way up and down, as it’s located about two-thirds of the way between the trailhead and the treeline.
As the trees start to thin out, the trail will make this hard right turn, which is the easier and official route, even though there may appear to be a path going straight.
At about 1.3 miles (2.1 km) into the hike, the trees open up to the first views of Avalanche Peak, which is the middle middle peak in the photo on the right.
This is also where micro-spikes may be necessary to safely summit Avalanche Peak during the early summer season.
Additional Early Season Gear
Depending on the winter snowpack, upper-elevation trails, like Avalanche Peak, can be covered in snow into the middle of July, and possibly even later.
Many hikers miss out on trails that they could have done simply for this reason alone, which is why I recommend coming prepared. I personally use the Yaktrax below.
Then, the trail will start climbing around the side of the peak, which is where you’ll get stunning views of Sylvan Pass on a clear day.
This is the view looking out toward Sylvan Pass.
After wrapping around the side of the mountain, the Avalanche Peak Trail will make a hard right turn, which is important to remember incase there isn’t this same rock barrier on the trail when you hike back down.
Just below the summit ridge, the trail will split into two paths that both lead up to the top.
The trail to the right is shorter but steeper, and the trail to the left is slightly longer but more gradual.
I went left because that’s the official trail by the National Park Service.
Summit Ridge
Personally, I think the summit ridge on Avalanche Peak is the best and most beautiful part of the entire hike.
Hopefully, you’ll have as clear and calm conditions as I’ve had all the times I’ve hiked Avalanche Peak.
Avalanche Peak
According to the USGS, the summit of Avalanche Peak in Yellowstone National Park is 10,568 ft. (3,221 m).
From the summit of Avalanche Peak, you can see as far as the Tetons to the south and the Beartooth Mountains to the north.
Hiking Avalanche Peak as a Loop
When you get to the summit of Avalanche Peak, you may notice a few clearly defined trails on the east ridge if it’s snow-free, as in the photo above.
Both of these trails head into the Shoshone National Forest, as Avalanche Peak is the border between the park and the National Forest. That being said, Avalanche Peak can be hiked as a loop if you’re up for navigating back the trail, as the photos below show.
This is not a route that I’m going to talk about in detail because it can be very easy to get turned around when you re-enter the forest in the basin below Avalanche Peak.
