Parking
Start at Bechler Ranger Station Trailhead (9K1) on Cave Falls Road, just north of Yellowstone’s southern boundary. The western-boundary end is not accessible by road.
Overview
About Robinson Creek Trail
Why go
- Robinson Lake makes a clear 2.2-mile one-way target from the south end.
- The route passes through forest, open meadows and marsh country.
Heads up
- The full western-boundary route has no road-accessible pickup at its far end.
- A 2022 account reported faint, overgrown tread farther along Robinson Creek.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Yellowstone map
Full mapElevation6,375–6,811 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
Bechler Ranger Station and Backcountry Office0:00 / 0:32
“You're nearing Bechler Ranger Station, a useful first stop for exploring this remote corner of the park. The backcountry office has maps and ranger advice for hikes through the meadows and waterfall country.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Yellowstone Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Cave Falls and Bechler 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 Robinson Creek Trail
The full route, and a shorter choiceRobinson Creek Trail is a 9.
Robinson Creek Trail is a 9.1-mile one-way route from Bechler Ranger Station toward Yellowstone’s roadless western boundary. The National Park Service calls it easy, but the full line is a bigger commitment than its first lake stop: Robinson Lake is about 2.2 miles from the southern end, so turning back there makes a roughly 4.4-mile out-and-back. The far end has no road access; a full hike that retraces its steps is about 18.2 miles.
Forest, meadows and marshesThe route follows a quiet corner of the Bechler backcountry through forest, open meadows and…
The route follows a quiet corner of the Bechler backcountry through forest, open meadows and marshes, with Robinson Creek and Robinson Lake as the main water features. A 2022 backpacking account described the tread farther along Robinson Creek as faint and overgrown. That is a dated report, not a current trail-condition check, so ask at Bechler before committing to the long remote section and carry a map and navigation.
Access and rulesStart at Bechler Ranger Station Trailhead on Cave Falls Road, just north of the park’s southern…
Start at Bechler Ranger Station Trailhead on Cave Falls Road, just north of the park’s southern boundary. The ranger-station trailhead has an information kiosk and bulletin board. Day hiking does not require a permit; overnight backcountry camping does. Pets are not allowed on Yellowstone hiking trails. The western-boundary endpoint is roadless, so do not plan on a vehicle pickup there.
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.
