Loading…
Lodgepole Pines
Free — you'll pick up right here.
Watch this trail
Sign up to watch it — saving subscribes you to gate, closure and report changes.
Wyoming
We won't guess. Here is exactly what we do and don't know.
What we do know
Inside Yellowstone National Park
National Park unit boundary is mapped — agency alerts for it feed this page automatically.
Boundary data
What's missing
No access route mapped
We don't yet know which road reaches this trailhead, so we can't tell you if it's gated.
Nobody's filed a report here yet — be the first.
Lodgepole Pines
AI-suggested draft · review before you go
No elevation data on file for this trail.
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.
Howard Eaton Trail
~1 min drive
22 mi · Hard
Artists Paintpots Trail
~9 min drive
This is a one-mile (1.6 km) trail that enters a partially burned lodgepole pine forest, then winds across a wet meadow on a boardwalk. This trail is a short loop. The hydrothermal area has colorful hot springs, mudpots, and small geysers. Watch out for flying mud. Stay on th…
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone - Lookout Point
~13 min drive
<p>Scientists think the oldest Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone formed in rock and sediments about 160,000 to 140,000 years ago. This canyon was not as deep, wide, or long as today’s canyon.</p> <p>Past and current hydrothermal activity altered and weakened the rhyolite, making…
Observation Peak Trail
~13 min drive
9.4 mi · Moderate
Mount Washburn Spur Trail
~14 min drive
17 mi · Hard
North Rim Restrooms
~12 min drive
0.3 mi · Easy
Hayden Valley at Alum Creek
~14 min drive
<p>Hayden Valley, is one of the best places in the park to view a wide variety of large mammals.</p> <p>Grizzly bears and black bears are often seen in the spring and early summer. Large herds of bison may be seen in the spring, early summer, and during the rut in August. Coyo…
Seven Mile Hole Trail
~14 min drive
9.9 mi · Moderate
Cascade Lake Trailhead (4K5)
~13 min drive
From this trailhead you can embark on the following trails: Cascade Lake Trail Observation Peak Trail There is a dedicated parking lot at this trailhead. The nearest restrooms are location to the east at the Cascade Lake Picnic Area. Cascade Lake Trail A moderate 4.4-mile…
Trout Creek Vault Toilet
~17 min drive
A worthwhile stop near Wyoming.
