Hiking in Yellowstone- Divide Ski (Hilltop) Trail
We got to celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary in Yellowstone National Park on June 9th.
It not only feels surreal that we have been married for 8 years now, but it also still amazes me that we are actually living in Yellowstone National Park.
So, when you are living and working in Yellowstone, what better way to celebrate your wedding anniversary than by going on a family hike.
We have not been on a hike since I got pregnant with Declan because life just got in the way.
Now that we have slowed down and are making it a point to enjoy life, and not just live it, a hike seemed the perfect way to celebrate our anniversary.
We hiked what we refer to as the Divide Hilltop Trail, but I just learned the National Park Service calls it the Divide Ski Trail. Evidently, it is commonly used by skiers since its all up hill and then all downhill.
We probably should have researched it a bit before taking this trail. Don’t worry, we were prepared. We had a comprehensive compact first aid kit, bear spray, water, bug spray, sunscreen, etc.
The hike leads you up to a hilltop on the Continental Divide, which is where the name comes from.
From the roadway the total round trip is almost 4 miles, however, the first portion of the trip (1 mi round trip) is on the Spring Creek trail and the rest of the trip is on the Divide Hilltop trail (2.8 mi round trip).
The trail elevation gain/loss is 546 feet according to the National Park Service page, here.
It took us approximately 2.5 hours to complete. However, there was still snow on the trail in early June and we had to cross 3 feet snow drifts at some place.
We recommend waiting until later in the season if you want to hike this trail and not ski it.
The National Park Service states that this trail is frequented by Bison and Elk, so be careful, stay on alert, and always carry your bear spray when hiking in bear country.
No dogs are allowed on this trail, except service dogs. See a ranger station for a back-country access permit if you have a service dog.
We had a good time on this hike. It was a challenging hike for us. We have not hiked in over 2 years, we were carrying a toddler, it was a pretty continuous climb going up and a downhill slope on the return trip, and we were trekking through snow for most of the hike.
However, when you get breaks in the trees, the views were pretty incredible.
At one point, you can see clear down to Shoshone Lake. At another point, you can see Mt. Sheridan in the distance.
Also, being a hilltop trail, it would be perfect for a picnic. I regretted not having thought of that before setting out.
The hilltop is flat, with a pretty spacious clearing to sit down and rest or eat.
However, since this trail is not far from Old Faithful, we went to the Geyser Grill for lunch after completing our hike.
To arrive at this trail, you take the Grand Loop Road, US-191, from West Thumb towards Old Faithful and the parking pull-off will be on your left. You can of course get to it going from Old Faithful to West Thumb but the pull off would then be on your right.
From the pull of that you park in, you should see the sign indicating the trailhead, for the Spring Creek Trail.
Follow this trail for approximately half a mile and you will come to the Spring Creek Junction, continue straight to get to the Divide Hilltop or turn off to get to the Lone Star Trail Junction.
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