Hiking the Storm Point Trail in Yellowstone National Park
Distance: 2.0 - 2.6 miles / 3.2 - 4.2 km
The Storm Point Loop Trail is one of the best easy hikes in Yellowstone National Park, as the majority of this beautiful trail along Yellowstone Lake is relatively flat.
On top of this, the Storm Point Trail makes for a great kid-friendly adventure because the loop can easily be shortened into an out-and-back hike by simply returning on the same trail rather than completing the loop.
This is why the distance above is variable.
Storm Point Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Storm Point Trail is located in either of two adjacent parking lots off East Entrance Road near Fishing Bridge.
Typically speaking, Storm Point is not the busiest trail in Yellowstone, but the loop does see some traffic, particularly those who are staying at the nearby Lake Yellowstone Hotel and Lake Lodge.
Google Maps Directions: Storm Point 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 Storm Point Trail
From either parking area, the Storm Point Trail meets up at the trailhead sign in the photo on the right.
From here, the hike out to Storm Point begins through the forest until it eventually paralls Yellowstone Lake on the far side.
Storm Point Loop Trail
At about the 0.5-mile (0.8 km) mark, the Storm Point Trail splits into the Storm Point Loop, where you could hike in either direction to reach the Storm Point and the Yellowstone Lake shoreline.
Since the trail to the left is the most direct route to Storm Point, that’s the direction I chose to hike the loop.
Once the forest starts to open, the views of Yellowstone Lake get better and better the closer you get to Storm Point.
Storm Point
At the one-mile mark, the trail on the left side of the loop ends on a rocky cliff, which is Storm Point.
While making your way down the cliffs to swim may look fun, know that the water temperature only averages about 41°F (5°C), and that’s during the warmer summer months.
On top of this, the waves on Yellowstone Lake can get significantly more choppy because it’s such a large body of water, which can make exploring the rocky shoreline along Storm Point a dangerous adventure.
Storm Point Loop
To hike the shortest route back to the trailhead, go right to retrace the same trail taken to reach Storm Point.
If you choose to continue along Yellowstone Lake around the Storm Point Loop, know that this lesser-trafficked half of the loop adds about 0.6 miles (1.0 km) to the overall hike.
Area Closure
When the trail meets these signs, go right.
Rare and endangered plants are a subject that’s personal to me where I live in Hawaiʻi, and I ask that you please do your part to protect the Yellowstone Sand Verbena, which only finds a home along the shores of Yellowstone Lake and nowhere else on earth.
This is definitely the pinpoint definition of a narrow endemic.
After the area closure, the Storm Point Loop Trail returns back into the forest until meeting up with the initial split from earlier in the trail.
Storm Point Loop Junction
This is where the Storm Point Trail completes the loop, with roughly 0.4 miles (0.6 km) remaining to the trailhead.
