Mammoth Terraces: A Yellowstone National Park Must-See

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On my first trip to Yellowstone we did the Mammoth Terraces hike to see the hillside hot springs, and we had moody cloudy skies and I loved it.

This time, it was extremely sunny and hard to see anything, but that’s because we stopped at the Mammoth hot springs in the late afternoon of the day we arrived in Yellowstone, on our way from Red Lodge to Gardiner via the Beartooth Pass.

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mammoth terraces yellowstone — This is the Liberty Cap, the big.. volcano? thing.

That said, it was still a lovely little hike, even if we didn’t do the whole thing this time. There wasn’t a ton of parking available, but we definitely didn’t have a hard time finding a spot either. You can either start at the bottom (more parking) or the top. We started at the bottom.

There isn’t a specific route you need to take around the boardwalk, there are a bunch of dead ends so you’ll be doing some backtracking but not a ton.

Our Mammoth Hot Spring hike

Like I mentioned, this was our last stop for the day before getting into Gardiner (where we would be staying for our Yellowstone trip) after leaving Red Lodge that morning and driving the Beartooth Pass, through Lamer Valley (my first time seeing it!), and over to Mammoth.

After finding a parking spot, off we went! We parked by the picnic area, then continued up the hill on the side of the road opposite to the springs and crossed over closer to the Liberty Cap, the first notable site.

We skipped the side boardwalk out to the Liberty Cap (the big.. volcano? looking thing on your right) and continued straight to that little dead end before coming back and taking the boardwalk parallel to the road.

We followed that until the next right, then straight basically until we got to the west parking lot (the one I called the top parking lot earlier). Along the part you’ll be walking by the hot spring terrace formations, with different colored pools along the way.

There are viewing platforms along the whole boardwalk for different features. If we had better lighting, we might have gone further, but it was just SO bright and kind of hard to see and enjoy a lot of the features, especially the details (which are my favorite parts).

I think my favorite view is actually at the very end of the boardwalk at the top. Maybe the top part in general, but especially the end. I love getting to see the hot springs and the surrounding hills together from up here.

It was pretty busy here, but it is one of the more common and popular hikes in the park, so it’s to be expected. I’m not really sure what time of day would be best to do this, probably morning, or on a somewhat cloudy day.

But in the beating sun, it was just so bright and hard to see because of all the shadows from the terraces themselves. But, if that’s the only way you can see it, it’s still worth doing. It really is a beautiful area and really unique from the other thermal features in the park.

And, if it’s cool out, you may get to see them extra steamy which could be pretty cool! I’m glad we stopped here again and would definitely recommend it, especially if it’s your first visit to Yellowstone. It’s definitely worth the hour you’ll need to check it out.

And like I’ve said about other parts of Yellowstone, if you’re an artist and love colors and textures, this is even more worth a stop. It’s endless and it’s hard to imagine leaving there not creatively inspired in some way.

I included a gallery at the end for extra pictures from this trip at the end of the post, and a separate one from my first visit with more colors and textures after that.

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National Park Goodies

If you’re planning to visit three or more national parks within a year from your trip, definitely get the America the Beautiful pass. It will save you money in the long run if you’re going to more than three parks in a year. Buy the pass here.
If you’re planning on doing a lot of hiking on your trip, or even at home, check out AllTrails! This is my favorite app to find, keep track of, and track my hiking activity. And it’s FREE! Sign up here.
This Ultimate National Park Planning Bundle is a must-have. You get two ebooks and a planner, saving 50% by getting them as a bundle! If you want all the details, this is the bundle for you. Buy the Ultimate bundle here.
Doing a road trip? Want an adventure? Consider an Escape Campervan Rental! It’s a great way to see the parks and is perfect for couples and small (but close) friend groups. Book a campervan here!
This National Park Planner (one of the ebooks from the bundle above) is perfect if you just want some guidance in your planning. Buy the planner here.
Get yourself a National Park journal for all of the NPS sites (400+!) to keep track of your travels!
Consider reading some of these books set in national parks before your big trip, on your adventure, or once you get home to take you back to the parks until next time.

Where is Mammoth Terraces in Yellowstone?

The Mammoth Terraces trailhead is in the Mammoth Hot Springs part of Yellowstone, at the northwest part of the park near Gardiner, Montana.

It’s about 15 minutes from Gardiner, and hour and 18 minutes from Old Faithful, 2.5 hours from Colter Bay, and 3.5 hours from Jackson.

How long is the Mammoth Terraces trail?

The whole trail at the Mammoth Hot Spring Terrace is about 2.2 miles, but you can easily do less of it if you’re short on time or just don’t want to do the whole thing.

Is the Mammoth Terraces hike hard?

Nope! Unless you have bad knees or can’t do stairs. This trail is pretty much all boardwalk, but has a lt of stairs taking you up the hot spring covered hillside.

It has about 344 feet of elevation gain, but like I said, it’s basically all from stairs. Some of the boardwalk may go up a bit but mostly not.

Is the Mammoth Terraces hike worth it?

Yes! Especially if it’s your first visit, or you had terrible lighting on your first visit and are now back. It’s a unique place to see the thermal features that is different than most of the other trails with thermal features.