Yellowstone Scariest Hiking Trails
This post is not intended to be a dare, Yellowstone is one of the scariest national parks to hike in. My experience is that 99.9% of the people do not hike past the first two miles of any trail and you can count with the fingers in one hand the number of hiking trails that most people hike.
The hikes that I am going to list I can assure you, no one hikes them in any remotely significant numbers. To me, scary is cataloguing three types of scary: animals, exposure, exhaustion. I will rate these hikes under those three criteria. I will also provide a link to a detailed page for the hike, where more details are provided (maps, photos, videos).
These are day hikes, so backpacking hikes like the Thorofare do not qualify.
Pelican Valley
The start of this hike is scary by itself: first, there is a sign that states that no one can be in the trail outside of 9am-7pm; second, after reading that, you enter a forested area that is creepy as hell (where I have run into black bears); third, out in the open this is prime BMA area and it is full of grizzly bears, which means this area opens only after July 1st.
Most people will hike about 2 miles in and reach the ruins of a bridge over the Pelican Creek and turn around. A few will continue further and explore miles into the valley, actually crossing the valley.
The valley is full of bison and there is a resident wolf pack; if you are lucky you will see wolf footprints on the trail. But the scary footprints are the ones from grizzly bears. On the way back from a hike I ran into tracks that were not there on the way in and, worse, they were going in the same direction that I was going, YIKES !!!! Lucky for me, the bear left the trail and I lost track of the footprints.
Animals, exposure, exhaustion ratings: animals 10/10 (all predators are here and it will be you and only you there), exposure 7/10 (no escape from shade in a wide open valley); exhaustion 3/10 (plenty water, no elevation gains).
Mary Mountain trail into Hayden Valley
This is prime bison herd territory and recently designated as a Bear Management Area due to the large amount of grizzly bears around carcasses.
The one trail goes for 20 miles point to point and half it is wide open and the other is mostly forested with large meadows. You definitely need to be totally aware of your surroundings. Very difficult to hike the 20 miles since you need a car ride, so it can be hiked in separate segments: enter on the west side, where bison use it as a highway; or enter on the east side (Hayden Valley), where there are plenty of bison, very wet and grizzlies. If you hike early, you may hear wolves doing their roll call at dawn.
Animals, exposure, exhaustion ratings: animals 10/10 (all predators are here and the bison are not friendly at all), exposure 5/10 (not a big deal on an open valley); exhaustion 3/10 (plenty water on the west side but on the east it it mostly thermal discharges so you can’t drink it, no elevation gains).
Fawn Pass and Bighorn Pass trails
These two hikes eventually enter a super scary BMA, the only one in the park where you are NOT allowed to hike off trail (you can hike off trail in Hayden, not here). The hikes from the East side (I have nor hiked on the west side) have plenty of opportunities to run into wildlife without warning (creeks, high vegetation). Since these two trails are seldom hiked, there is no help coming if you get in trouble. Grizzlies have charges hikers in this area.
Animals, exposure, exhaustion ratings: animals 10/10 (all predators are here and campsites are few), exposure 2/10 (not an issue); exhaustion 3/10 (plenty water, no elevation gains).
Avalanche Peak
This trail is scary for some due to the fact that the trail traverses a ridgeline towards the top of the peak and in one segment hits a hump that is thin and exposed to the strong winds. For people with issue with heights, this could be a bad experience.
Also, the first mile is in a forested area that is loved by grizzlies due to the nut trees. But the views from the top are out of this world.
Animals, exposure, exhaustion ratings: animals 5/10 (you may run into a grizzly at the bottom), exposure 10/10 (the trail narrows in some areas and the wind is strong); exhaustion 7/10 (the elevation gain is significant but it is not exhausting, it seems that way since the top is not really the top when you think you are getting close to it).
Howard Eaton
This point to point trail has so many beautiful views of the Yellowstone River and Hayden Valley. Since it is point to point I hiked it from the west side and the east side. I recommend the west side since the east side is forested and few views (except carcasses, yikes!!!). The west side is wide open with great views of the Yellowstone river, but it is littered with carcasses. I have seen bears on the trail when driving along the river; also bison tend to push you off the trail
Animals, exposure, exhaustion ratings: animals 10/10 (bison with bad manners and bears eating carcasses ………. very important to make sure the trail is not closed due to carcasses), exposure 2/10 (no big deal); exhaustion 3/10 (no elevation gains).
Electric Peak
This trail is super long and exhausting and bears ……… the trifecta. If you ask grok or any other AI for scary trails, this one will definitely show up (I am still working on a report for this trail). From crossing a BMA to very strenuous gain elevation (no switchbacks here to alleviate it) and complete exposure to the sun for the last 3 miles, this trail takes the cake.
Animals, exposure, exhaustion ratings: animals 10/10 (its a BMA area, so you need to be careful), exposure 10/10 (when the official trail ends, there is one more mile to the top and the slope is brutal, take walking sticks with you); exhaustion 10/10 (it is a 20 mile trail and on top of that “electric” is a valid name ………… thunder at the top).
