Yellowstone National Park · Idaho, Montana, Wyoming

Blacktail Plateau Ski Trail

0.8 mi of trail, end to end · about 40 ft of climbing · 6,903 ft–6,942 ft · snow surface · trail class Minimally Developed · hiking, ski

6,923 ft 6,920 ft · 0.8 mi high 6,942 ft

Trailhead Self-Guided Trail Trailhead 6,922 ft Drive there

Forces of the Northern Range Self-guided Trail the Park Service's write-up

30-60 Minutes · no dogs · Spring, Summer, Fall

Start East of Mammoth Hot Springs

Visitors on a boardwalk view a low profile wayside exhibit
Visitors view a wayside exhibit on the Forces of the Northern Range Self-guided Trail

This .5 mile (.8 km) boardwalk has 11 stops with exhibits. No restroom.

Yellowstone’s northern range is a grassland north of the Yellowstone and Lamar Rivers. This area sustains one of the largest and most diverse communities of free-roaming large animals in the world.

Yellowstone National Park is a place where scientists can study nature in a nearly unchanged condition.

Safety notes: Do not approach or feed any animal. Stay 100 yards (91 m) from bears and wolves. Stay 25 yards (23 m) from all other animals.

Trailhead: The trail begins 8.3 miles (13.4 km) east of Mammoth on the Grand Loop Road.

Accessibility The entire boardwalk is accessible. There is no designated accessible parking. Some gaps between boards may exceed .5 inches. The boardwalk surface is somewhat uneven and bumpy. There are some tactile exhibits. The closest accessible toilet is at the Blacktail Creek pullout.

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

All 473 trails in Yellowstone National ParkFind a trailOn the parks mapPark on nps.gov

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.