Parking
Start at Blacktail Creek Trailhead parking on Grand Loop Road, about 7 miles east of Mammoth. The route ends near the North Entrance, so plan transportation at both ends.
Overview
About Rescue Creek Trail
Why go
- Aspens, meadows, forest and sagebrush make the route change as you go.
- A true point-to-point walk across the Northern Range.
Heads up
- Eight miles one way is a real half-day commitment.
- The route needs a vehicle or ride at the far end.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Yellowstone map
Full mapElevation5,354–6,877 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
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
Blacktail Creek Trailhead0:00 / 0:26
“You're nearing Blacktail Creek Trailhead, where the Blacktail Deer Creek hike leads down to a suspension bridge over the Yellowstone River.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Yellowstone Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Forces of the Northern Range Trail
- Wraith Falls Trailhead
- Lava Creek Picnic Area
- Undine Falls
- 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 Rescue Creek Trail
A long cross-country dayRescue Creek Trail is an 8-mile point-to-point hike from Blacktail Creek Trailhead to a second…
Rescue Creek Trail is an 8-mile point-to-point hike from Blacktail Creek Trailhead to a second trailhead near the North Entrance. It climbs gradually through aspens and meadows, then descends through forest to sagebrush flats. This is a good pick if you want a substantial walk across the Northern Range; it takes a half day and needs one-way transportation planning. Allow 4 to 6 hours.
How the route unfoldsFrom the Blacktail Creek parking area, follow a short shared section of the Blacktail Deer…
From the Blacktail Creek parking area, follow a short shared section of the Blacktail Deer Creek path to the Rescue Creek junction, then continue toward the North Entrance. The route gains ground gradually through aspen and meadow before dropping through forest into open sagebrush country. The 8-mile figure is one way and includes that approach from the trailhead.
Open country and canyon viewsThe meadows and rolling grassland give the walk its wide-open feel.
The meadows and rolling grassland give the walk its wide-open feel. Gardner Canyon and Bunsen Peak frame one of the route's defining views; Electric Peak appears from other stretches. Keep some of the canyon floor or sagebrush foreground in a photo so the ridges read as a landscape rather than a tight mountain portrait.
Plan the one-way logisticsStart at Blacktail Creek Trailhead, about 7 miles east of Mammoth on Grand Loop Road.
Start at Blacktail Creek Trailhead, about 7 miles east of Mammoth on Grand Loop Road. The other end is near the North Entrance, so leave a vehicle there or arrange a ride before setting out. The hike is moderately strenuous because of its length and rolling terrain. Pets aren't allowed.
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.
