Parking
Use the small roadside turnout about a quarter mile north of Madison Junction, then cross Grand Loop Road to reach the trail entrance beside the information board.
Overview
About Purple Mountain Trail
Why go
- A broad east-facing panorama over the Gibbon and Madison river valleys.
- The final stretch levels out before the viewpoint.
Heads up
- The first 1.2 miles have few views.
- A long uphill climb and repeated switchbacks can feel monotonous.
Purple Mountain Trail is a strenuous out-and-back from a roadside turnout about a quarter mile north of Madison Junction. The mapped route runs about 3.35 miles uphill and back down the same corridor. The published figure is 6 miles round trip, while detailed tracks and the mapped line come out closer to 6.6; plan for the longer estimate. Allow about four hours for roughly 1,500 feet of climbing. This suits hikers who want a sustained climb and a wide view more than constant scenery; the lower trail stays under conifers for a long stretch.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Yellowstone map
Full mapElevation6,847–8,425 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
Purple Mountain Trailhead0:00 / 0:20
“Purple Mountain Trailhead is ahead, with a strenuous hike to views over the Gibbon and Madison river valleys.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Yellowstone Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Madison Information Station and Trailside Museum
- Terrace Spring
- Firehole Falls and Canyon Swimming Area
- A Butterfly That Waited Out Winter
- 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 Purple Mountain Trail
Up through the treesFor about the first 1.2 miles, the trail climbs through forest with few views.
For about the first 1.2 miles, the trail climbs through forest with few views. Then it works up the mountain through roughly eleven switchbacks. Some lower turns are faint, and the climbing can feel repetitive; the upper turns are easier to follow, but the slope opens up and offers less shade.
At the viewpointNear the top, the trail reaches a plateau, turns south, and follows a flatter final stretch to…
Near the top, the trail reaches a plateau, turns south, and follows a flatter final stretch to an east-facing viewpoint. From there you look over the Gibbon and Madison river valleys; on a clear day the view may reach the geyser basins and the direction of Old Faithful. The viewpoint is around 8,375 feet. Purple Mountain's true summit is higher and off trail, so treat the viewpoint as the end of this hike and turn back there. For a photo, include some of the broad plateau in front of the river valleys to show the scale of the view.
Starting outPark in the small roadside turnout about a quarter mile north of Madison Junction, then cross…
Park in the small roadside turnout about a quarter mile north of Madison Junction, then cross Grand Loop Road to the trail entrance beside an information board. Take care at the crossing: drivers may not expect someone stepping across the road. The park describes the climb as strenuous, 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.
