Parking
Start at Sepulcher Mountain Trailhead (1K1), at the base of Palette Spring. There is a parking lot at the trailhead; it is popular in summer, when visitors may need to park elsewhere in Mammoth.
Overview
About Clagett Butte–Snow Pass Loop
Clagett Butte–Snow Pass Loop is a 4.85-mile circuit from Sepulcher Mountain Trailhead (1K1), following the Sepulcher Mountain Trail to the Clagett Butte connector, then returning by Snow Pass and Mammoth Golden Gate. It climbs about 1,200 feet; allow three to three and a half hours. This is a moderate, hilly backcountry walk near Mammoth, not the full Sepulcher Mountain summit hike.
Why go
- A complete backcountry loop close to Mammoth without the full Sepulcher summit hike.
- Open north and east views from Clagett Butte.
Heads up
- Steep grades on both the Clagett Butte connector and Snow Pass.
- Several trail junctions require careful route-finding.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Yellowstone map
Full mapElevation6,286–7,480 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
Mammoth Hot Springs Lower Terraces0:00 / 0:38
“Up ahead are Mammoth Hot Springs' Lower Terraces, where hot water builds pale shelves of rock across the hillside. For a short visit, start by Liberty Cap and walk about a hundred and thirty-five yards to Palette Spring.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Yellowstone Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Fort Yellowstone and Mammoth Village
- Mammoth Upper Terraces and Orange Spring Mound
- The Shock Behind Electric Peak
- Mount Everts Viewpoint
- 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 Clagett Butte–Snow Pass Loop
Is it your kind of hike?Pick it if you want a real climb without giving up most of the day.
Pick it if you want a real climb without giving up most of the day. Snow Pass is steep in places, and Clagett Butte adds a sharper climb and descent. The route joins several named trails, so keep the loop’s turns straight at junctions and carry a map. The mapped circuit is just under five miles; other measurements run a little longer, so follow the Sepulcher–Clagett–Snow Pass–Mammoth Golden Gate sequence rather than every nearby trail.
Over Clagett ButteFrom Sepulcher Mountain Trail, turn onto the Clagett Butte connector.
From Sepulcher Mountain Trail, turn onto the Clagett Butte connector. It climbs steeply about 250 feet over the butte, then drops on the other side. Power lines run beside much of the connector, but there are north and east views from the high ground. Turn toward Bunsen Peak and keep some of the grassy ridge in the foreground for the best sense of the place.
Snow Pass and the way backThe Snow Pass corridor is heavily forested and gains about 700 feet in its first 1.
The Snow Pass corridor is heavily forested and gains about 700 feet in its first 1.5 miles from the Snow Pass access. From the pass, the view opens toward Swan Lake Flats; the return follows Mammoth Golden Gate back toward the trailhead. The corridor is also used for cross-country skiing in winter. No on-route water or restrooms were listed, so bring what you need before leaving Mammoth.
Bears and accessGrizzly bears frequent this area.
Grizzly bears frequent this area. Yellowstone advises hikers to go in groups of three or more, stay together and remain on established trails. Pets are not allowed on park trails. Start at Sepulcher Mountain Trailhead (1K1), at the base of Palette Spring. The parking lot is popular in summer, so you may need another parking area in Mammoth.
A name from Yellowstone’s foundingWilliam H.
William H. Clagett, Montana Territory’s delegate to Congress, introduced the bill to establish Yellowstone National Park on December 18, 1871. The House passed it the following February, and President Grant signed it on March 1, 1872; the butte honors Clagett.
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.
