Parking
Use DeLacy Creek Parking Area / Trailhead (7K2), 8.8 miles west of West Thumb Junction. An information kiosk is listed at the trailhead.
Overview
About DeLacy Creek Trail
Why go
- An easy lake-bound walk through forest edge and open meadows
- A chance to see cranes, moose and water birds along the route
Heads up
- A 5.8-mile out-and-back is a long commitment for a single lake-shore destination.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Yellowstone map
Full mapElevation7,795–7,943 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
DeLacy Creek and Shoshone Lake0:00 / 0:24
“You're approaching the DeLacy Creek trailhead, for a walk to Yellowstone's largest backcountry lake.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Yellowstone Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Plant Beneath the Lily Pad
- Isa Lake and Craig Pass
- The Cranes Are Dancing
- Trout Across the Continental Divide
- 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 DeLacy Creek Trail
An easy walk with a remote finishDeLacy Creek Trail is a 5.
DeLacy Creek Trail is a 5.8-mile out-and-back from DeLacy Creek Parking Area to the north shore of Shoshone Lake, then back the same way. The National Park Service rates it easy and gives a three-to-five-hour range; allow about four hours if you want time by the water. The route follows a forest edge and opens into meadows before reaching Yellowstone’s largest backcountry lake.
Follow the creek to the shoreThis day hike ends at the lake.
This day hike ends at the lake. Turn around at the north shore and retrace the approach; longer backcountry routes continue beyond this point and are separate itineraries. The 5.8 miles includes both directions, not just the walk to the shore.
What to look forThe meadows are a good place to scan for sandhill cranes, and the lake edge for moose and water…
The meadows are a good place to scan for sandhill cranes, and the lake edge for moose and water birds. Wildlife sightings are never guaranteed, but the creek, open grass and wooded shoreline give the walk more variety than a straight forest approach.
Start and rulesThe trailhead is at DeLacy Creek Parking Area (7K2), 8.
The trailhead is at DeLacy Creek Parking Area (7K2), 8.8 miles west of West Thumb Junction; an information kiosk is listed there. The trail is listed for summer and fall. No reservation or trail activity fee is required, though normal park entrance fees apply. Pets are not allowed.
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.
