Yellowstone National Park · Idaho, Montana, Wyoming

Purple Mountain Trail

3.4 mi of trail, end to end · about 1,900 ft of climbing · 6,853 ft–8,432 ft · earth surface · trail class Minimally Developed · hiking

Trailhead Purple Mountain Trailhead 6,851 ft Drive there

Purple Mountain Trail the Park Service's write-up

3-5 Hours · no dogs · Summer, Fall

Start Madison Junction

You climb 1,500 feet (0.47 km) in 3 miles (4.8 km) to a panoramic view of the Gibbon and Madison rivers.

Safety notes: This strenuous trail is not recommended for persons with heart and/or respiratory problems.

Trailheads: Look for the trailhead at a turnout about ¼-mile (0.4 km) north of Madison Junction.

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

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.