Parking
Park at Lava Creek Picnic Area off Grand Loop Road, then cross the road to Lava Creek Picnic Area Trailhead (1N6). Parking can be limited at times; a vault toilet is at the picnic area.
Overview
About Lava Creek Trail
Why go
- A 60-foot waterfall and the Lava Creek–Gardner River confluence are on the route.
- The canyon walk stays close to two named waterways.
Heads up
- An 8.4-mile same-start outing takes much longer than a short waterfall stop.
- The steep descent to the river becomes a steep climb on the return.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Yellowstone map
Full mapElevation5,755–6,624 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
Lava Creek Picnic Area0:00 / 0:21
“You’re coming up on Lava Creek Picnic Area, a small creekside lunch stop near Mammoth. There are just five tables, so it’s a simple place to eat outside if you’ve brought food and drinking water.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Yellowstone Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Wraith Falls Trailhead
- Undine Falls
- Sixty Million Missing Years
- Blacktail Creek Trailhead
- 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 Lava Creek Trail
A long canyon walkLava Creek Trail is a 4.
Lava Creek Trail is a 4.2-mile one-way route between separate trailheads in Yellowstone’s Mammoth area, following Lava Creek and the Gardner River to Undine Falls and the streams’ confluence. Walking back to your starting point makes it 8.4 miles round trip; allow about 4–6 hours for the full walk. The waterfall and river canyon are the payoff, but this is a substantial hike rather than a quick roadside stop.
Down to the riverThe first 250 feet are level on hard-packed soil, then the trail drops steeply toward the…
The first 250 feet are level on hard-packed soil, then the trail drops steeply toward the Gardner River. Undine Falls drops 60 feet into the canyon, and the confluence of Lava Creek and the Gardner River is another landmark along the way. At the falls, leave some of the columned rock wall and surrounding gorge in the frame; a tight crop loses the scale of the setting.
Starting access and effortStart across Grand Loop Road from Lava Creek Picnic Area at Lava Creek Picnic Area Trailhead…
Start across Grand Loop Road from Lava Creek Picnic Area at Lava Creek Picnic Area Trailhead (1N6). The picnic area has a vault toilet, and parking can be limited at times. The descent becomes a steep climb on the same-route return. Grizzly bears frequent this area, and pets are not allowed on the trail.
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.
