Parking
Start at Ice Lake Trailhead (4K2) on Norris–Canyon Road; the trail begins directly from the roadside access.
Overview
About Ice Lake Trail
Why go
- A brief, gentle walk to a forest-framed lake shore.
Heads up
- Trees screen much of the lake until you reach the shore.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Yellowstone map
Full mapElevation7,894–7,923 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
Ice Lake Trailhead0:00 / 0:23
“The Ice Lake trailhead is coming up, a good choice for a short, easy lake walk. Allow thirty to forty-five minutes for the one-mile round trip through conifers, with a gentle climb after a small footbridge.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Yellowstone Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- A Tangle in the Pine
- The Spring That Drains After Steamboat
- Before the Dragonfly Had Wings
- Rowing Across the Surface
- 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 Ice Lake Trail
A quick lake walkIce Lake Trail is an easy 1-mile out-and-back from Ice Lake Trailhead (4K2) to the lake’s…
Ice Lake Trail is an easy 1-mile out-and-back from Ice Lake Trailhead (4K2) to the lake’s forested west shore. Cross a small footbridge, then climb gently through conifers; water appears between the trees before the path reaches the shore. Allow about 30 to 45 minutes with a short stop. It is a good leg-stretcher if you want a lake visit without a longer Norris–Canyon hike.
Follow the west-shore branchAt the first junction, take the left-hand branch toward Ice Lake.
At the first junction, take the left-hand branch toward Ice Lake. Other paths continue around the lake toward backcountry campsites, so turn back from the western shore to keep this to the short outing. Trees screen much of the water until the shore, where the broad lake opens against a forested far bank. The listed mile is the full return trip; the mapped route traces the outbound path once.
Bear-country rulesPets are not allowed.
Pets are not allowed. The lake has designated backcountry campsites: overnight camping requires a backcountry permit, but the day hike does not. The park advises hiking in groups of three or more, staying on established trails, and carrying bear spray ready to reach.
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.
