While traveling around Yellowstone National Park, plan a visit to Mount Washburn to photograph breathtaking scenes. The mountain is clearly visible from many locations in Yellowstone National Park. As you gaze up, imagine the view from the top. Its high elevation of 10,243 feet (3,122 meters) prompted the National Park Service to build a fire tower on the summit for surveying a broad section of the territory.
Choose a trail on the mountain’s north side, at the end of the unpaved Chittenden Road. Use the parking lot here. The trail also functions as a service road for park personnel. The climb has a relatively unobstructed view, with Yellowstone River Canyon observable on days with good visibility. The path is fairly straight and eventually merges with the south trail after about 1,500 feet (460 meters) of elevation change.
The southern route, Dunraven Pass Trail, has a greater amount of changing scenery. Although this route has more turns and is a bit longer than the northern one, the intensity of the climb is ranked as moderate. Look for an abundance of wildflowers and lichen along its 3.3-mile (5.5-kilometer) length. Between wooded areas are spaces that provide widening scenes of the landscape below.
Both trails finish the ascent with a short curved path to a flat concrete observation area at the top. Notice the three-story fire lookout tower. The bottom two floors are open to the public. The ground floor has exhibits and restrooms, while the next level is an observation deck.
Watch for wildlife on these trails, although the animals tend to hide in the shadows during the peak tourist season. Dress for changeable weather. Warm sunny days can rapidly deteriorate, with thunderstorms or even snow in late spring or early summer. The top of the mountain can be windy on any day.
Find parking for Mount Washburn’s south trail 5 miles (8 kilometers) north of Canyon Junction off the Grand Loop Road. The north trail runs off unpaved Chittenden Road, which connects with Tower-Roosevelt on the Grand Loop Road. Pay the weekly or annual entrance for Yellowstone National Park to access the trails to Mount Washburn.
