Mount Holmes Trail

Mount Holmes Trail is a strenuous out-and-back from Mount Holmes Trailhead (1K6) to the 10,336-foot summit, through meadow, forest, creek bottoms and a final talus climb. The mapped corridor is 10.78 miles each way, or about 21.6 miles round trip, with roughly 3,000 feet of climbing. Plan on 10 to 12 hours. Distance estimates conflict: one published figure is 18.8 miles, but the mapped route and other descriptions support a longer day. I would plan around 21.6.

From Norris, take the Grand Loop Road north about 9.5 miles to the Mount Holmes Trailhead. The trail crosses a broad meadow, climbs gently through thin then thicker forest, and passes beneath power lines before reaching Winter Creek. The early miles are rolling and much easier than the summit climb ahead.

Winter Creek is the first serious question. Descriptions disagree about whether hikers can use logs or need to ford it, and its flow can be strong. Treat it as a real crossing, check current conditions, and don’t assume it will be a dry step-over.

At the Grizzly Lake junction, about 2.7 miles in, take the Mount Holmes branch. It climbs an open hillside with views toward Straight Creek, then bends into the Winter Creek drainage. The route follows a mix of woods, wet meadows and small crossings toward an old patrol cabin and the Trilobite Lake junction; turn toward Mount Holmes there. Don’t follow either branch to its namesake lake unless you mean to leave this route.

After the creek country, the trail climbs more steadily through forest and open slopes, past a burned area where younger trees are growing back. The upper route crosses loose talus in an alpine drainage, reaches a saddle, then climbs steep switchbacks on the mountain’s northwest side. The last stretch is rocky and exposed, and the effort feels different above 10,000 feet. There’s no quick way to shorten the return: retrace the same corridor to 1K6.

The summit opens to a wide panorama: Electric Peak to the north, Hebgen Lake to the west, and, on a clear day, views toward Mount Washburn, the Absarokas and the Tetons. The old Mount Holmes Fire Lookout was built in 1931 and burned after a lightning strike in July 2019; the tower no longer stands, though its base remains. The view is still the payoff. A low railing makes a useful foreground for a wide summit photo.

Grizzlies frequent this area, and the park recommends following its current bear and group-size guidance. Pets are not allowed on the trail. Overnight backcountry camping requires a permit.

The separate Trilobite Lake Trail also starts at 1K6 and is listed at 15.6 miles round trip. It is still strenuous, but it trades the summit climb for a lake destination.