Yellowstone National Park · Idaho, Montana, Wyoming

Beaver Ponds Trail

4.4 mi of trail, end to end · about 300 ft of climbing · 750 ft of descent · 6,261 ft–6,763 ft · earth surface · trail class Minimally Developed · hiking

Trailhead Beaver Ponds Trailhead 6,252 ft Drive there

Beaver Ponds Trail the Park Service's write-up

2-5 Hours · no dogs

Start Mammoth Hot Springs

The trail gains over 350 feet in elevation and rambles through sagebrush meadows and stands of trees. The beaver ponds are approximately half-way around the loop. You might see beavers or their sign, but you are more likely to see muskrats and water birds. Along the way, look for bears, elk, mule deer, pronghorn, and moose.

Safety notes: Grizzly and black bears frequent this area.

Trailheads: North of Liberty Cap, near the stone house or behind Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel at start of Old Gardiner Road.

Accessibility This trail is predominantly a narrow, bare-ground and rocky path. There are several wooden bridges over waterways, one of which is very narrow. Switchbacks are used for most elevation changes, but the grade can be steep in spots. There is at least 350 feet in elevation gain during this hike.

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

Other trails from the Beaver Ponds Trailhead

• Old Gardiner Road Trail · 0.2 mi

About this trail's facts

The lines are the National Park Service's public trails layer, the trailheads and the waterfalls, views, peaks and historic places along them the Service's public points of interest, read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end. The write-ups are the Service's own "things to do" text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the park's own site before you go.