Wyoming · Hiking

Lodgepole Pines

Lodgepole PinesPhoto: NPS / public domain
Jul–Sep
best months

Is Lodgepole Pines open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Yellowstone National Park. It doesn't name Lodgepole Pines, so check the source for the area it covers (2 listed).

As of · Source: NPS · Yellowstone National Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Forests cover roughly 80% of Yellowstone and lodgepole pine comprises nearly all of that canopy. Some American Indian tribes used this tree to make the frames of their tipis or lodges, hence the name “lodgepole” pine. The log walls of the Old Faithful Inn are made with lodgepole pine. The volcanic rocks beneath much of Yellowstone form nutrient-poor soils. These areas generally have extensive stands of lodgepole pine, which are drought tolerant and have shallow roots that take advantage of the nutrients in the soil. Lodgepoles are the only pine in Yellowstone whose needles grow in groups of two. They can be up to 75 feet tall. Lodgepole pine trees have very thin bark and can be killed by ground fires. Fire Rejuvenates Forests Wildland fire is an integral, dynamic process. Fires rejuvenate forests on a grand scale. Some species of plants survive the intense burning to re-sprout. Some cones of lodgepole pines pop open only in heat generated by fires, spreading millions of seeds on the forest floor. After fire sweeps through an area, mammals, birds, and insects quickly take advantage of the newly created habitats. Fires recycle and release nutrients and create dead trees or snags that serve a number of ecological functions, such as the addition of organic matter to the soil when the trees decompose.

  • Nearby · Ice Lake Trail · Howard Eaton Trail:Cascade Lake-Norris Campground · Fumaroles in Porcelain Basin
  • Best time to go · Jul–Sep

    Best time to visit Lodgepole Pines

    Best months: July–September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      23° / 3°

      17 wet

    2. Feb

      27° / 3°

      15 wet

    3. Mar

      35° / 11°

      14 wet

    4. Apr

      42° / 19°

      12 wet

    5. May

      50° / 29°

      12 wet

    6. Jun

      61° / 36°

      13 wet

    7. Jul

      71° / 43°

      10 wet

    8. Aug

      71° / 42°

      10 wet

    9. Sep

      61° / 34°

      10 wet

    10. Oct

      46° / 25°

      9 wet

    11. Nov

      33° / 15°

      12 wet

    12. Dec

      24° / 7°

      16 wet

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Lake Yellowstone, WY, 16 mi away at 7,892 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

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~3 min drive

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~5 min drive

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~1 min drive

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~12 min drive

Moderate out-and-back hike from Fishing Bridge to Canyon through thermal landscapes.

HIKE

Back Basin

~6 min drive

In contrast to Porcelain Basin, Back Basin is more forested and its features are more scattered and isolated. Young lodgepole pines growing up among the remains a fire the burned through the area in 1988. Color and Heat Lovers Hydrothermal features are also habitats in which…

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~13 min drive

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~14 min drive

Scenic 1.3-mile out-and-back with dramatic viewpoints and natural formations.