Parking
Hellroaring Trailhead (2K8), reached by a quarter-mile spur off Grand Loop Road; parking is available at the trailhead.
Overview
About Buffalo Plateau Trail
Why go
- Panoramic views over both the Yellowstone River and Hellroaring Creek valleys
- A suspension-bridge crossing breaks up the long approach
Heads up
- The 18.8-mile round trip takes most of a day
- Little shade on the plateau, with a steep first-mile climb on the return
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Yellowstone map
Full mapElevation5,958–9,311 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
5 active Yellowstone alerts
- ClosureBiscuit Basin closed after hydrothermal explosionBiscuit Basin’s parking lot, boardwalk, and Firehole River are closed to all travel.Official details
- ClosureMost Yellowstone roads close to regular vehicles November 1Most Yellowstone roads and the West, South, and East entrances are scheduled to close to regular vehicles November 1, 2026, as the park prepares for winter operations.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Yellowstone Tour Guide
Hear Yellowstone as you drive it.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Yellowstone National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Yellowstone audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Hellroaring Trailhead0:00 / 0:25
“You're nearing Hellroaring Trailhead, where a steep walk leads to a suspension bridge over a narrow Yellowstone River canyon.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Yellowstone Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Clean Sheets at Uncle John’s
- A Bison’s Second Chew
- Four Feet in One Bound
- The Drum Hidden in the Woods
- 243 audio storiesacross Yellowstone’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Wolf, Grizzly Bear, Bison, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 167 trails, 192 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“First time driving through a national park. We used the Yellowstone tour on grand loop Road and it’s just like having a tour guide in your car with you.”
Trail guide
Hiking Buffalo Plateau Trail
The full out-and-backBuffalo Plateau Trail is a strenuous 18.8-mile out-and-back from Hellroaring Trailhead (2K8).
Buffalo Plateau Trail is a strenuous 18.8-mile out-and-back from Hellroaring Trailhead (2K8). It drops about 600 feet in its first mile to the Yellowstone River suspension bridge, then climbs onto the plateau for wide views across the Yellowstone River and Hellroaring Creek valleys. This is a full-day commitment; allow roughly 10–12 hours at a steady hiking pace, including stops, and leave enough daylight for the climb back to the trailhead.
Follow the Buffalo Plateau branchesAfter the bridge, take the Buffalo Plateau branch rather than continuing on Hellroaring Creek…
After the bridge, take the Buffalo Plateau branch rather than continuing on Hellroaring Creek Trail. At the later junction, stay on Buffalo Plateau rather than turning onto Coyote Creek. The route goes out to the north end of the mapped trail and returns by the same corridor; the 18.8 miles is the complete round trip. Coyote Creek makes a different, longer itinerary and is not part of this hike.
Where the views openThe climb leads from the river corridor into open sagebrush and meadow on Buffalo Plateau.
The climb leads from the river corridor into open sagebrush and meadow on Buffalo Plateau. The best look back is toward the valleys you have crossed, with the Yellowstone River and Hellroaring Creek below. Shade is limited over the open ground. The long approach makes the suspension bridge a useful early landmark, but the plateau is the reason to keep going.
Wildlife and wayfindingBison and bears use this part of Yellowstone.
Bison and bears use this part of Yellowstone. Keep the park’s required distance from wildlife and carry bear spray. One visitor account describes the tread becoming harder to distinguish near forest where bison paths cross the route; stay with the established trail instead of following animal tracks. Pets are not allowed on Yellowstone hiking trails or in the backcountry.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Yellowstone
713 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
743 sightingsWolfMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
5,273 sightingsBisonMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
3,258 sightingsElkMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
397 sightingsMooseMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
1,494 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Yellowstone. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
