Yellowstone National Park · Idaho, Montana, Wyoming

DeLacy Creek Trail

7.1 mi of trail, end to end · about 550 ft of climbing · 7,795 ft–7,977 ft · earth surface · trail class Minimally Developed · hiking

Backcountry camps

7,954 ft 7,802 ft · 2.9 mi high 7,954 ft

Along the way 8S1

Trailhead DeLacy Creek Trailhead 7,954 ft Drive there

DeLacy Creek Trail the Park Service's write-up

3-5 Hours · no dogs · Summer, Fall

Start Craig Pass

A creek flows through a meadow surrounded by trees.
Photo: NPS / Addy Falgoust

Hike along a forest’s edge and through open meadows to the shores of Yellowstone’s largest backcountry lake. Look for sandhill cranes in meadows, moose near shore, and water birds on and near the lake.

Safety notes: Beyond here the trail continues into Yellowstone’s vast backcountry. The dayhike stops here; return by the same route. Check the Backcountry Situation Report for further information.

Trailheads: 8.8 miles (14 km) west of West Thumb Junction at DeLacy Creek Parking Area.

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

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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.