Storm Point Hike (Yellowstone National Park)

The Storm Point Hike in Yellowstone National Park is a fun short hike along a relatively flat trail to the northern end of Lake Yellowstone. This fun short hike in Yellowstone National Park offers diverse scenery as you begin your hike traversing through a meadow, then through trees, and then finally out to the scenic wind swept Storm Point overlooking Lake Yellowstone. The Storm Point Hike is a fun short hike the whole family can do together. For more pictures of our Storm Point Hike make sure to check out our Facebook Page.

Directions to Trailhead: To get to the Storm Point Hike in Yellowstone National Park, drive 3.1 miles east of the fishing bridge junction and park in the small parking area on the south side of the road, about half a mile after crossing Pelican Creek. There is a sign for the parking area that is visible. Parking could be limited on busy summer days as the parking areas is not too large. This is a very popular hiking spot and you are likely to see other Yellowstone National Park visitors while hiking to storm point. Click Here for an interactive map of Yellowstone National Park to locate fishing bridge junction and the storm point hike. There is an entrance fee for Yellowstone National Park, but no permit is required to hike to Storm Point. The trailhead for the hike is located at roughly 7,700 feet.

Description of Hike: The Storm Point Hike is a loop hike on a virtually flat hiking trail to a wind swept point overlooking Lake Yellowstone. The hike begins by the west edge of Indian Pond, which is a popular bird watching site in the Lake Yellowstone area. The pond gets its name because it served as a historic camping area for Indian tribes. After going by Indian Pond, the trail goes through a short section of timber before taking a swing to the right and to Storm Point, which is a small rocky peninsula that juts out into Lake Yellowstone. The view at Storm Point is spectacular, with Stevenson Island and Mount Sheridan being to the south. The peninsula gets the name Storm Point from the fierce winds that hit this area by storms moving northeasterly through the park. After spending some time at Storm Point follow the trail back along the lake shore for about a half a mile before turning right through timber, and the trail will take you all the way back to the meadow where the trail began.

Further Thoughts: Ashley and I thoroughly enjoyed our hike to Storm Point. The hike offered diverse scenery and an excellent chance to see wildlife. One of the neat things you will notice on the hike is the marmots that live near Storm Point. There are several sections of rocks near Storm Point and we saw 5 different marmots out in the area. Make sure to take you camera as you never know what type of wildlife you will see and the scenery is spectacular.

There is also the option to have a ranger led hike at this location. The ranger led hike will allow you to learn about the human and natural history of this area. Check out the Fishing Bridge Visitor Center or Lake Ranger Station for a schedule of the trips to Storm Point, during the summer they begin at 10:00 am. One of the things about this hike is the trail is often closed during late spring and early summer due to bear activity. If you are thinking about hiking this trail during these times, make sure to inquire with the Fishing Bridge Visitor Center about trail closures before hiking.

Rating: Elevation Gain: < 100 ft. (Easy), Distance: 2.3 Miles Roundtrip (Easy)

Time to Complete Hike: 1 - 2 hours.

MORE TRAIL WRITE-UPS ON YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

Artists Paintpots

Beaver Ponds Trail

Boiling River

Ice Lake

Lamar River Trail

Lost Lake

Mammoth Hot Springs

Norris Geyser Basin

Storm Point (This Post)

Tower Falls

Trout Lake

Upper Geyser Basin

Yellowstone River Picnic Area Trail

View Storm Point Hike Yellowstone National Park in a larger map