4.0 mi of trail, end to end · about 200 ft of climbing · 1,100 ft of descent · 5,565 ft–6,741 ft · earth surface · trail class Minimally Developed · hiking
TrailheadBlacktail Creek Trailhead 6,622 ft Drive there
Blacktail Deer Creek to Yellowstone River Trail the Park Service's write-up
4-5 Hours · no dogs · Spring, Summer, Fall
Start East of Mammoth Hot Springs
Photo: NPS / Jacob W. Frank
Follow Blacktail Deer Creek as it descends 1,100 feet (335 m) through rolling, grassy hills and Douglas-fir forest to a suspension bridge over the Yellowstone River. Return the same way.
Safety notes: Trail frequented by horseback-riders.
Trailhead: 7 miles (11.3 km) east of Mammoth on the Grand Loop Road.
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.
