Yellowstone National Park · Idaho, Montana, Wyoming

Specimen Ridge Trail

17 mi of trail, end to end · about 3,800 ft of climbing · 6,251 ft–9,609 ft · earth surface · trail class Minimally Developed · hiking

9,191 ft 9,459 ft · 1.9 mi high 9,607 ft

Trailheads Soda Butte Trailhead 6,647 ft Drive there · Specimen Ridge Trailhead 6,250 ft Drive there

Specimen Ridge Day Hike Trail the Park Service's write-up

2-4 Hours · no dogs · Summer, Fall

Start Northeast

A trail travels past a piece of petrified wood on a ridgeline.
Photo: NPS / Jacob W. Frank

Follow the abandoned service road from the pullout for about 100 yards (91 m). Veer right onto the intersecting path and start climbing toward the ridge. Stay on the most obvious trail to the top of the open ridge. Follow the ridge line to the southwest in the direction of the cliff outcrop you saw from below. There are several wildlife trails that cut across below the top of the ridge, and traverse a forested area before ending at the trees. Be careful not to get off track on the wildlife trails. Take in the magnificent view across the valley. To the north, you can see the Slough Creek Valley and Absaroka Range. Descend the way you came up.

Safety notes: This strenuous, high elevation trail is not recommended for persons with heart and/or respiratory problems. This trail is not a part of the longer Specimen Ridge Trail. The Petrified Trees of Specimen Ridge is a separate, unmaintained and unmarked route. From the pullout, look southwest, away from the road. Toward the top of the ridge, at approximately the two o’clock position, you will see a cliff outcrop that contains the petrified trees. Keep this in mind as your ultimate destination.

Trailheads: Striped pullout 4.5 miles (7.2 km) east of Tower Junction on the Northeast Entrance Road. Marked by a sign reading “trailhead.”

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.