Parking
Start at Specimen Creek Trailhead (WK3) on U.S. Highway 191, 26.5 miles north of West Yellowstone. An information kiosk is at the trailhead; parking capacity, fees and overflow details were not found.
Overview
About Specimen Creek Trail
Why go
- A long creek-valley walk reaches a clear destination at Shelf Lake.
- Burned forest and meadows add variety to the lodgepole stretches.
Heads up
- The 16.4-mile round trip includes a steady climb and the same corridor on the return.
Specimen Creek Trail is a 16.4-mile out-and-back from Specimen Creek Trailhead (WK3) to Shelf Lake, about 8.1 miles each way. It follows the creek valley through forest, burned stretches and meadows, with a steady climb into high country. Allow roughly 8–10 hours and set aside most of a day: the trail gains about 2,500 feet on the way to the lake, then you retrace the same route. It is a long, demanding day in Yellowstone backcountry.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Yellowstone map
Full mapElevation6,926–9,311 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
Specimen Creek Trailhead and Shelf Lake0:00 / 0:26
“Specimen Creek Trailhead is coming up, with a long creek-valley hike to Shelf Lake. The full trip is sixteen point four miles out and back, taking eight to ten hours with about twenty-five hundred feet of climbing.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Yellowstone Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Partners on a Branch
- Why This Corner Joined the Park
- Black Butte Trailhead
- Dailey Creek and Sky Rim
- 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 Specimen Creek Trail
Stay on Specimen CreekThe opening is smooth and nearly level, then the grade picks up gently among spruce and fir.
The opening is smooth and nearly level, then the grade picks up gently among spruce and fir. A small stream crossing and bridge break up the forest before lodgepole pines and open meadow stretches. Parts of the valley run through burned forest. At about two miles, the Sportsman Lake Trail branches to the right. Keep left on the North Fork of Specimen Creek toward Shelf Lake.
Shelf Lake is the turnaroundThe creek corridor keeps climbing through forest and meadow toward Shelf Lake, about 8.
The creek corridor keeps climbing through forest and meadow toward Shelf Lake, about 8.1 miles from the trailhead. The upper stretch rises into a higher basin; a separate 22.5-mile loop continues via Crescent Lake, High Lake and Sportsman Lake. For this hike, turn around at Shelf Lake and come back on the same path. The measured corridor is about 8 miles one way, matching the signed distance and the park’s 16.4-mile round trip.
Backcountry accessUse Specimen Creek Trailhead (WK3) on U.S. Highway 191, 26.5 miles north of West Yellowstone.
Use Specimen Creek Trailhead (WK3) on U.S. Highway 191, 26.5 miles north of West Yellowstone. Overnight campers need a backcountry permit. NPS says grizzlies frequent this area; its Gallatin Bear Management Area guidance recommends groups of at least four. Pets are not allowed on this 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.
