Parking
Use Yellowstone River Picnic Area Trailhead 2K7 on Northeast Entrance Road, about 1.25 miles northeast of Tower Junction.
Overview
About Yellowstone River Picnic Area Trail
Why go
- Big views into the Yellowstone Narrows, with basalt columns and Bannock Ford along the rim.
- A half-day canyon hike rather than an all-day commitment.
Heads up
- A steep climb starts the route.
- Rocky, rooty tread follows a ridge with steep drop-offs.
The Yellowstone River Picnic Area Trail is a 3.7-mile (5.9 km) out-and-back to an east-rim overlook above the Narrows. Plan on 2–3 hours. The climb is steep, and the narrow bare-ground trail has rocks and roots; the ridge adds steep drop-offs. This is a good half-day choice if you want a canyon view and are comfortable with uneven footing and exposed edges.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Yellowstone map
Full mapElevation6,247–6,627 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
Yellowstone River Picnic Area and Narrows0:00 / 0:29
“Yellowstone River Picnic Area is ahead, a useful lunch stop that also gives you a way up above the river canyon. I'd stop for a picnic and treat the walking as optional.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Yellowstone Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Specimen Ridge Trailhead
- Tower Junction and Garnet Hill
- Roosevelt Lodge and Lost Lake
- Calcite Springs Overlook
- 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 Yellowstone River Picnic Area Trail
The climb and rimThe trail climbs from the picnic-area access to the east rim, then follows the ridge above the…
The trail climbs from the picnic-area access to the east rim, then follows the ridge above the Yellowstone River. The tread stays single-wide and rough. Take the rim section slowly where the ground falls away beside the path. The mapped route turns around at the vista and returns along the same corridor.
What opens upLook across the Narrows toward the Overhanging Cliff area, basalt columns, and historic Bannock…
Look across the Narrows toward the Overhanging Cliff area, basalt columns, and historic Bannock Ford. The towers of Tower Fall are visible, but the waterfall itself is not. Peregrine falcons and osprey nest in the canyon, and bighorn sheep use the rim; they are possible sightings, not a promise. At the vista, the river bend framed by gray canyon walls is the trail’s signature view.
Start, return, and rulesStart at Yellowstone River Picnic Area Trailhead 2K7, about 1.
Start at Yellowstone River Picnic Area Trailhead 2K7, about 1.25 miles northeast of Tower Junction on Northeast Entrance Road. The standard route is there-and-back. The park also describes an alternate continuation northeast to a junction, then down to the road for a 0.7-mile walk west back to the picnic area; that road return is not included in this mapped out-and-back distance. Pets are not allowed.
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.
