Mallard Lake
Old Faithful, Yellowstone National Park
| Address: | Lower Lodge Lp, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190, USA |
| GPS: |
44°27'29.5"N 110°49'22.6"W Maps | Directions |
| State: | Wyoming |
| Trails/Routes: | 3.1 mi |
National Park
Hike
The Mallard Lake trail is majestically lined with trees both old an new. This is a 5 mile leading to the beautiful Mallard lake, making it a 10 mile round trip. The trail is most popularly used for hiking, running, camping, and is best to hike from May-September. The Mallard lake trail gives a spectacular birds eye view of Yellowstone's Old Faithful. The trail is known to change scenery every mile or so, ranging from young and old pine, to rocky terrain, and then grassy meadows. Wildflowers are in abundance on this hike as well. These flowers can be found along the trail and surrounding the lake. The lake is calm, and only experiences disturbances when the wind causes ripples or when the fish create bubbles.
This lake is a little more private, which means it does not get very crowded during the warmer seasons. You can hike to the lake and enjoy a meal with a view, or let all of your senses indulge in the scenic creations. Many of the trees that were knocked down from the Yellowstone fires in 1988 can be used as seats or tables by the lake. Since the fire, the forest along the creek and surrounding the lake has developed into a beautiful, youthful, green woodland.
The lake itself was once known to be overly populated with fish.The rangers in the area tried to combat the over population and saw little success in the past. However when Yellowstone opened the area for public fishing the solution was found. the Mallard Lake is still brimming with lake trout. If you being your fishing gear on this hike, you might come home with dinner!
More Information
Be courteous, informed, and prepared. Read trailhead guidelines, stay on the trail, and don't feed the wildlife.
Read More
- Plan Ahead and Prepare
- Travel & camp on durable surfaces
- Dispose of waste properly
- Leave what you find
- Minimize campfire impacts
- Respect wildlife
- Be considerate of other visitors
Directions
From Old Faithful, Yellowstone National Park
- Head east on Old Faithful Rd (0.5 mi)
- Continue straight onto Old Faithful Lodge Rd (256 ft)
- Turn right onto Lower Ldg LpDestination will be on the right(0.1 mi)
Southeast side of the Old Faithful Lodge cabins, near the Firehole River. Take the first right turn as you come into the Old Faithful Lodge area and continue down the road past some cabins to the trailhead.Courtesy of nps.gov
From West Yellowstone: From the center of town enter Yellowstone and drive 14 miles to Madison Junction. Turn right and continue toward Old Faithful. The Mallard Creek Trailhead is located on the left after Midway Geyser Basin and the Fairy Falls Trail.
Trails
Distance ?
3.1 milesElevation Gain ?
2 feetReal Ascent ?
233 feetReal Descent ?
231 feetAvg Grade (0°)
0%Grade (-5° to 32°)
-8% to 62%Elevation differences are scaled for emphasis. While the numbers are accurate, the cut-away shown here is not to scale.