Hiking the Divide Trail in Yellowstone National Park
Distance: 3.4 miles / 5.5 km
Elevation Change: ~700 ft. / 213 m
The Divide Trail, also called the Divide Mountain Trail, in Yellowstone National Park is a mostly forested, out-and-back day hike off Grand Loop Road between the Upper Geyser Basin and the West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake that climbs to the site of a historic mid-20th-century fire lookout above Shoshone Lake.
Now, I think it’s important to highlight the word "site," as the Divide Fire Lookout is no longer standing today and hasn’t been for many decades.
This is why I think it’s important to be honest about the Divide Trail, in that the views are extremely limited and only get better if you’re willing to hike off-trail at the unmarked junction mentioned below, about 0.4 miles (0.6 km) from the end of the hike.
If not, I truthfully cannot say the Divide Trail is worth the effort for most visitors—especially first-time Yellowstone visitors—which is not something I often say about most adventures around the world!
Divide Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Divide Trail is located in a large pullout directly off Grand Loop Road, about 6.5 miles (10.5 km) south of the Old Faithful overpass.
When you arrive, don’t be surprised if you are the only car in the parking lot, as I have driven by an endless number of times over the years and have seldom seen other visitors venturing up the Divide Trail—not to mention, I’ve never seen anyone else on the trail when I’ve hiked it myself.
Google Maps Directions: Divide Trailhead
Hiking Checklist - Yellowstone–Tetons
Here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in the Yellowstone–Teton area.
Hiking the Divide Trail
The Divide Trail begins at the joint Divide–Spring Creek Trailhead, which also serves the Spring Creek Trail, a popular cross-country ski route in the early summer season before the snow becomes too patchy, typically by mid- to late June.
Shortly after leaving the trailhead, the Divide Trail starts a steady, near-constant climb to the site of the historic fire lookout.
Despite this, the Divide Trail is not the steepest adventure, like Avalanche Peak, nor is it flat either, like most of the geyser basins.
This is why some hikers may want to bring trekking poles just in case.
The most important thing I can say about the Divide Trail is to always hike with bear spray—especially given the fact that few, if any, other groups are on the trail at any given time.
That said, Grizzly encounters are not uncommon on the Divide Mountain Trail, and in August 2018, a 10-year-old boy was even attacked and badly injured before his parents quickly took action using their rented bear spray.
I do not write all this to discourage anyone from hiking this or any trail in Yellowstone National Park, but to encourage responsibility, as the bear spray in this incident was specifically cited as the reason the attack wasn’t worse.
Divide-Spring Creek Junction
After 0.3 miles (0.5 km) since leaving the joint trailhead off Grand Loop Road, the Divide Trail passes the eastern connection for the Spring Creek Trail, a 4.2-mile (6.8 km) one-way hike to the Lone Star Geyser Trail on the other end.
Once here, go straight to continue hiking up the Divide Trail to the site of the historic fire lookout, about 1.4 miles (2.3 km) from this point.
After the Spring Creek Trail, the Divide Trail continues up the steady climb to the viewpoint and the end of the trail shortly thereafter.
That said, there really are no breaks from the constant ascent, apart from a short stretch after the view of Shoshone Lake, which, again, is why trekking poles can be helpful, especially during the early summer when there is still a lot of snow on the trail.
If all these photos show anything about the Divide Mountain Trail, I hope it’s that there is often a lot of deadfall on the hike to the top.
This is because the Divide Trail is far from the most popular trail in Yellowstone National Park, and as a result, countless other trails take priority when it comes to trail maintenance.
Therefore, don’t be surprised if you have to log-hop over an endless number of fallen Lodgepole Pines, unlike on many of the more popular adventures across much of the park.
What Does Divide Refer To?
The Divide Trail is quite literally named after the Continental Divide, which the trail actually crosses a little before the halfway mark between the trailhead and the unmarked junction for the view of Shoshone Lake.
That said, the Divide Trail is not actually a part of the Continental Divide Trail (CDT), which passes through Yellowstone from south to north, but the CDT does wrap around Shoshone Lake, which can be seen at the one and only viewpoint up ahead.
After just over 1.3 miles (2.1 km), the Divide Trail passes this inconspicuous split on the left-hand side.
This is the short side trail that leads to the only view on the entire hike!
That said, I recommend going left and walking a short distance off the main path in order to enjoy the view of Shoshone Lake in the distance, but be careful, as it can be very easy to get turned around in Yellowstone’s dense Lodgepole forests!
This is where the Divide Trail turns sharply to the northwest, beginning the final 0.25 miles (0.4 km) up to the site of the historic Divide Fire Lookout.
For the sake of being transparent once again, I personally think that turning back after the view of Shoshone Lake isn’t the worst idea, as reaching the end of the Divide Trail, where the historic fire lookout once stood, isn’t all that rewarding—at least in my opinion.
End of the Divide Trail
This is the end of the Divide Trail, located roughly 1.7 miles (2.7 km) from the joint trailhead off Grand Loop Road.
What was the Divide Fire Lookout?
The Divide Lookout Tower was a 68-ft. (20.7 m) tall fire lookout built in 1958 that once stood where the Divide Trail ends today.
According to park records, the Divide Fire Lookout was dismantled in 1991 due to the expense and logistical challenges of maintaining remote lookout towers as Yellowstone increasingly shifted toward aerial fire detection.
This hopefully helps explain why the end of the Divide Trail is seemingly uneventful today, but prior to 1991, rangers actually accompanied park visitors to the lookout on guided fire-ecology hikes.
Old Faithful (Upper–Lower Geyser Basins)
Canyon Village
Maddison–Norris
Yellowstone Lake & East Entrance
Mammoth, Lamar Valley & Tower
