Beula Lake Trail

Dogs No Dogs

Features Lake · River/Creek · Views

This 2.8 mile trail begins just south of the park on east side of Grassy Lake, on the Flagg Ranch to Ashton NFS road (gravel), 9 miles west of Flagg Ranch. Look for a small pullout on the right side of the road. The trail ends on the south side of Beula Lake. The trail can be hot and dry and has no water until you reach the lake.

From the trailhead, the trail immediately begins a hardy 320-foot climb to the Yellowstone Park boundary at the .6-mile mark. It continues through forests burned in 1988 to the trail's high point at the 1.3-mile mark. From the high point the trail traverses rolling terrain gradually descending 100 feet over the next .9 miles before dropping 120 feet the last 1/4 mile to the lake. Along the way, enjoy nice views to the north of the Pitchstone Plateau, one of Yellowstones youngest lava flows, which occurred just 70,000 years ago.

Beula Lake has over 100 acres of surface area and a maximum depth of 36 feet. The 1872 Hayden Survey named the lake most likely for Beulah the mystical land of sunshine described in Bunyans Pilgrams Progress. Cutthroat trout were stocked in the lake in the 1930s and 40s, and fishermen still enjoy fishing its waters.

The trail continues along the west shore of Beula Lake past two backcountry campsites before officially ending. A fishermans use trail continues north along the lakeshore to the lakes outlet. Here, the well-named Falls River begins its 10-mile, 1,000 foot drop over numerous falls and cascades to be joined by the Bechler River near the southwest corner of the park.

Thanks to guidebook author, Tom Carter, for sharing this trail description. To learn more about visiting Yellowstone, check out his book, Day Hiking Yellowstone.