Parking
Use the Clear Lake Trailhead at the southeast side of Upper Falls Viewpoints parking on South Rim Drive. The lot has an information kiosk and a vault or composting toilet.
Overview
About Clear Lake Trail
Why go
- A short, gentle approach to an emerald, spring-fed lake.
Heads up
- This walk does not include Artist Point or the longer lake loops.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Yellowstone map
Full mapElevation7,759–7,890 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
Upper Falls Viewpoints and Clear Lake0:00 / 0:30
“Upper Falls Viewpoints is coming up on South Rim Drive. Stop here for a short paved walk to a view across the gorge, with the waterfall and Chittenden Bridge together.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Yellowstone Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Brink of the Upper Falls
- Brink of the Lower Falls
- Chittenden Bridge and South Rim Trail
- Lookout Point and Grand View
- 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 Clear Lake Trail
Is this the short walk you want?Clear Lake Trail is a gentle 1.
Clear Lake Trail is a gentle 1.4-mile out-and-back from the South Rim parking area to Clear Lake’s south shore. Allow about an hour with time at the water. It’s a simple way to reach the spring-fed lake; Artist Point, Lily Pad Lake and Ribbon Lake belong to longer South Rim or lake-route outings.
Across the plateauThe path leaves the Clear Lake Trailhead at the southeast side of Upper Falls Viewpoints…
The path leaves the Clear Lake Trailhead at the southeast side of Upper Falls Viewpoints parking and crosses a partly wooded plateau, climbing gradually to the lake. The mapped path is about 0.7 mile each way; return on the same tread. Take the direct spur and turn around at the shore rather than following the connections into the longer routes.
At Clear LakeClear Lake is a small, emerald pool fed by hot springs. Look for little bubbles at the surface.
Clear Lake is a small, emerald pool fed by hot springs. Look for little bubbles at the surface. From the south shore, keep the shallow water in the foreground and the pine-lined far bank behind it to show the lake’s clear color. Stay on the established path around the water: Yellowstone prohibits off-trail travel in thermal areas.
Start preparedUse the Clear Lake Trailhead on South Rim Drive, on the southeast side of the Upper Falls…
Use the Clear Lake Trailhead on South Rim Drive, on the southeast side of the Upper Falls Viewpoints parking lot. A vault or composting toilet and an information kiosk are at the lot. Grizzly bears frequent this area; carry bear spray and follow the park’s bear guidance. Pets are not allowed on park trails.
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.
