Trilobite Lake Trail

The trail starts across a broad meadow, follows Winter Creek and crosses it before climbing through a mix of green forest, burned ground and younger trees. It passes the Grizzly Lake junction, curves around a ridge with views, then descends toward a wide meadow and the patrol-cabin junction. Stay on the Mount Holmes–Winter Creek route until that meadow, then take the branch for Trilobite Lake rather than continuing toward the Mount Holmes summit.

Winter Creek was reported unbridged on an older hike; the crossing setup can change, so do not count on a bridge or a dry crossing. The official description places the final climb in the last two miles to the lake and gives about 800 feet of gain there.

From the cabin meadow, the lake trail threads dense lodgepole forest and wet meadows with small streams, then climbs steeply through an old burn. The tread is less obvious here: orange markers and cut logs have been used to keep hikers on the route, and descriptions note an older and newer alignment. Slow down at junctions and follow the marked line rather than cutting across the slope.

The route ends at a small pocket lake under the cliffs of a glacier-carved cirque, with Mount Holmes rising above the basin. It is the trail’s defining view after the long approach. For a photo, include the rocky shore in the foreground and the cliffs across the water to show the scale of the bowl.

Grizzly bears frequent this area. Yellowstone’s backcountry guidance advises hiking in groups of three or more, staying together, carrying a map and not hiking after dark. Pets are not allowed on park trails or in the backcountry. Check current trail and bear guidance before setting out; conditions on less-used routes may not be updated often.

The National Park Service lists 15.6 miles round trip; other full-route listings put it around 16–16.2 miles. The 2.4-mile figure sometimes attached to the name describes only the final cabin-to-lake segment. The stored line follows the trail once, about 7.9 miles each way.