Yellowstone National Park

Ribbon Lake Trail

Loop HikersPhotographersCrowd Escapers
0 mi Distance
3-4 hours Estimated Time
loop Trail Type

What to Expect

Starting from the Upper Falls parking area, you'll cross South Rim Drive and immediately trade the Canyon Village crowds for a surprisingly mellow walk through lodgepole pine forest. The trail rolls gently through thermal meadows where the ground occasionally steams and the air carries that unmistakable Yellowstone sulfur tang. Clear Lake comes first — a deceptively beautiful pool fed by hot springs that give it an eerie, milky-turquoise cast. From there the path winds through open meadows dotted with wildflowers in July and August before delivering you to Ribbon Lake, a quiet backcountry gem tucked below the Canyon rim. The real bonus is the loop option: swing past Lily Pad Lake and finish at Artist Point, giving you one of the park's most iconic overlooks as a finale instead of retracing your steps. This one is perfect for hikers who want genuine backcountry feel without a punishing climb.
Loop HikersPhotographersCrowd EscapersFamiliesThermal Features

Safety Advisory

The thermal areas near Clear Lake are real and unforgiving — stay on the boardwalks and established trail. The ground crust around hot springs can be paper-thin, with scalding water inches below.

This is prime grizzly country, especially in the meadows between lakes. Carry bear spray accessible on your hip, not buried in your pack, and make noise through the blind corners in the forest sections.

Trail Details

Estimated Time 3-4 hours
Trail Type loop
Pets Not allowed
Season Year-round
Trailhead Ribbon Lake Trail

Pro Tips

Trail Tip

Take the loop clockwise — hit Clear Lake and Ribbon Lake first when your legs are fresh, then finish at Artist Point where you can linger at the overlook without worrying about the return trip.

Trail Tip

Start by 8 AM to claim parking at the Upper Falls lot. By mid-morning in July and August, Canyon Village becomes a traffic circus and you may end up parked a quarter mile away.

Trail Tip

Clear Lake is one of Yellowstone's most photogenic and least-photographed spots. The hot spring inflows create patches of vivid color along the shoreline — bring a polarizing filter to cut the glare and capture the thermal blues.

Photos

Lily pads cover the edge of a lake surrounded by a forest.NPS / Addy Falgoust

More Trails in Yellowstone

Wildflowers bloom in an alpine meadow with mountains in the distance.

Chittenden Road - Mount Washburn Trail

Moderate
10.3 mi ·3-5 hours hrs
A creek flows through a meadow surrounded by trees.

DeLacy Creek Trail

Moderate
8.8 mi ·3-5 hours hrs
A rocky mountain peak emerges behind rolling, grassy hills.

Rescue Creek Trail

Moderate
8 mi ·4-6 hours hrs
Two people hike through a field of yellow flowers along the side of a slope.

Blacktail Deer Creek to Yellowstone River Trail

Moderate
7 mi ·4-5 hours hrs

Explore Yellowstone National Park

12 campgrounds, 1000 trails, 4.7M annual visitors

View Park Guide