Yellowstone National Park, WY · MT · ID
A brief Scout Pool detour on the long Union Falls hike.
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Yellowstone Tour Guide
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 tour“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
North Fork is the unmarked left branch from the Union Falls route at a horse hitching post to Scout Pool, also called Ouzel Pool. It is a short forest path to a creek pool and low waterfall. The mapped spur is about 0.63 mile round trip, around 0.32 mile each way; allow about 30 minutes for the walk, before stopping at the water.
This is a detour within the long Union Falls backcountry hike, not a standalone roadside walk. From Grassy Lake Trailhead, the junction is roughly 7.5 miles down the route, so expect a long day or plan an overnight. Overnight camping requires a Yellowstone backcountry permit. The trailhead is at the west end of Grassy Lake Reservoir. Grassy Lake Road is seasonal and rough, and a high-clearance vehicle is recommended; check the current road and trail report before setting out.
The pool is naturally heated and its temperature varies. Yellowstone prohibits soaking in hot springs, so treat this as a viewing stop, not a bathing spot. The shared approach crosses a swift stream that can be dangerous when early-season flows are high. The branch itself is unmarked at the junction, and pets are not allowed on Yellowstone trails or in the backcountry.
Wildlife
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.
Keep exploring
ModerateTerraced Falls Trail4 mi · 2.5 hr · 4.6 mi awaySix waterfall tiers make this quiet backcountry walk worthwhile.
ChallengingUnion Falls Trail15.4 mi · 9 hr · 5 mi awayA long backcountry walk to Yellowstone’s second-tallest waterfall.
ChallengingMountain Ash Creek Trail11.6 mi · 8 hr · 5.1 mi awayA historic wagon road and an unbridged Falls River ford
ModerateBeula Lake Trail5.2 mi · 2.7 hr · 6.5 mi awayA ridge-top reservoir view before the trail drops to Beula Lake.
EasyBechler Falls Trail2.6 mi · 1.3 hr · 6.9 mi awayA forested river walk threads cascades to a low waterfall.
ChallengingColonnade Falls Trail18 mi · 9 hr · 8.8 mi awayA long, nearly level route to a two-tier backcountry waterfall.ChallengingBechler River Trail30 mi · 20 hr · 8.8 mi awayA remote river traverse threads meadows, waterfalls, and thermal ground.
ModerateDunanda Falls Trail16.9 mi · 8.5 hr · 8.8 mi awayA long, mostly level hike to a 110-foot waterfall.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayUnion FallsTwo streams meet at the brink, then plunge about 250 feet.
Sight · 4.7 mi awayColonnade FallsPaired falls reached by a long hike and a cold river ford.
Sight · 4.7 mi awayIris FallsA 45-foot waterfall with rainbow-prone spray in the Bechler backcountry.
Sight · 6.8 mi awayCave FallsA broad cascade at the end of a long, rough gravel road.
Sight · 7.2 mi awayBechler FallsA low cascade rewards the long, remote approach through river country.Sight · 8.2 mi awayDunanda FallsA substantial waterfall at the end of the 17-mile Bechler hike.
Ranger station · 8.8 mi awayBechler Backcountry OfficeGet Bechler route advice and backcountry permits here.Parkwolf’s Yellowstone ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
