Sky Rim Loop Trail

Sky Rim Loop Trail is an 18.2-mile circuit from Dailey Creek Trailhead (WK1) through Yellowstone's remote Gallatin Range. It climbs the Dailey Creek valley to Dailey Pass, follows the high Sky Rim ridge toward Big Horn Peak, then descends by Black Butte and the Black Butte–Daly Creek Cutoff. Allow about 11 hours and expect roughly 4,600 feet of climbing. This is a strenuous day for hikers ready for sustained climbing, exposure, and a remote route; skip it if you're short on time or uncomfortable on steep, airy ground. The loop leaves the ridge near Big Horn; a separate, longer traverse continues toward Shelf Lake and Specimen Creek.

The walk starts across open subalpine meadows beside Dailey Creek, with Crown Butte filling much of the valley view. Keep going past the Black Butte–Daly Creek Cutoff junction and climb toward Dailey Pass; the grade steepens as the route leaves the lower valley. The ridge is a sequence of rocky rises, grassy shelves, and tree-covered saddles, with several exposed sections. Near Big Horn Peak, loose footing and a short narrow rocky crest make careful steps more useful than speed.

From the Big Horn junction, the mapped circuit turns down the Black Butte Trail, then follows the cutoff back to lower Daly Creek. It retraces about 1.8 miles of the approach to reach the same trailhead. Don't add the eastward continuation toward Sheep Mountain unless you've planned a different route and exit.

Once you gain the ridge, views open over the Upper Dailey Creek Basin and across the Gallatin Range. Big Horn Peak is a small summit with a wide mountain panorama; Sheep Mountain's dark summit reflector is an unusual landmark farther along the skyline. Near an overlook above the basin, a petrified tree stump rises from broken rock. It's an easy feature to miss if you're watching only the footing; look for it where the view opens through the trees. For a photo, include both the stump and the basin below; a close shot loses the scale of the ridge.

Water is not dependable high on the ridge, so carry what you need before leaving the valley and do not count on the small upper creek. The open crest is exposed to thunderstorms; descend from high ground if storms approach. Grizzlies frequent the Black Butte area. Yellowstone prohibits pets on these backcountry trails and requires a backcountry permit for overnight camping; this mapped circuit is a day hike.

Start and finish at Dailey Creek Trailhead (WK1) on US 191. The separate Sky Rim Trailhead (WN1) is a remote boundary access, not a drive-to starting point.