Grebe Lake Trail

Starting from the pullout on Norris-Canyon Road, you follow a wide old fire road that feels more like a backcountry boulevard than a proper trail. The first stretch cuts through lodgepole pine forest — much of it regrowth from the famous 1988 fires, so the trees are tall enough to shade you but thin enough to let light pour through. The terrain is flat and forgiving, with only gentle undulations as you cross a few marshy meadows where wildflowers carpet the ground in July. After roughly three miles of easy walking, the forest opens and Grebe Lake appears — a broad, shallow backcountry lake ringed by timber and usually dead calm in the morning. It feels genuinely remote despite the straightforward approach. Anglers love it for the grayling (one of the few spots in the Lower 48 where you can catch them), and anyone who wants a taste of Yellowstone backcountry without a punishing climb will find this trail rewarding.