Parking
Use the roadside pullout beside Snow Pass Trailhead (1K2), on the west side of Mammoth-Norris Road about 0.4 mile south of Upper Terrace parking.
Overview
About Snow Pass Trail
Why go
- A short, direct climb to the named Snow Pass saddle.
Heads up
- Very steep grades make the short distance feel like a workout.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Yellowstone map
Full mapElevation6,785–7,536 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 area
Terraces Tumbled Down the Mountain0:00 / 0:32
“The pale jumble of rock south of Mammoth is called Silver Gate, or the Hoodoos. Those blocks began as hot-spring terraces high on Terrace Mountain. Later, huge pieces broke away and tumbled down the slope.”
Plays on the road 0.6 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Yellowstone Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Mammoth Upper Terraces and Orange Spring Mound
- Mammoth Hot Springs Lower Terraces
- Fort Yellowstone and Mammoth Village
- Mount Everts Viewpoint
- 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 Snow Pass Trail
What this short hike isSnow Pass Trail is a 3-mile out-and-back from Snow Pass Trailhead (1K2) to a 7,450-foot saddle,…
Snow Pass Trail is a 3-mile out-and-back from Snow Pass Trailhead (1K2) to a 7,450-foot saddle, with about 700 feet of climbing. Most of the climb is forested, and the grades get very steep. It’s a good choice for a short, serious uphill near Mammoth, not a casual stroll. Allow about two to two and a half hours. One published total is 2.4 miles round trip, but detailed trail directions put the pass 1.5 miles from the start, so the full return walk is closer to 3 miles.
Keep the turnaround at Snow PassThe pass sits between Terrace Mountain and Clagett Butte.
The pass sits between Terrace Mountain and Clagett Butte. Turn around at the saddle and retrace the same trail. The mapped ski route continues about half a mile down the other side to a junction, but that extension changes this into a longer outing; it isn’t part of the short Snow Pass walk described here.
Start and bear countryUse the nearby roadside pullout on the west side of Mammoth-Norris Road, about 0.
Use the nearby roadside pullout on the west side of Mammoth-Norris Road, about 0.4 mile south of Upper Terrace parking. Grizzlies frequent this area. Stay together in a group of three or more and keep bear spray accessible. Pets aren’t 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.
