Pebble Creek Trail

Yellowstone National Park Montana

Listing Type: National Park Trail
City: Yellowstone National Park Montana
Region: Yellowstone Country
406-307-344-7381

The Pebble Creek Trail travels through a glacial valley lined with rugged peaks rising to over 10,000 feet. The valley is mostly forest with lodgepole pine, Engleman spruce and subalpine fir. There are some extensive meadow areas in the upper Pebble Creek valley. These meadows contain blooming cinquefoil, geranium, lupine and other flowers during July and early August. Elk are frequently seen coming down into these meadows to feed during summer evenings and moose may occasionally be seen feeding on the willows along the banks of Pebble Creek. Mosquitoes may be quite numerous along Pebble Creek until early August, but shouldn't be bad enough to deter you from hiking through this scenic valley.

The trail travels from Pebble Creek Campground to the Warm Creek Picnic Area. Starting from the picnic area is the shortest way to get to the scenic upper valley of Pebble Creek; although this route does require a steep 1,100 foot climb.

On the west side, the trail starts at either Pebble Creek Campground or Pebble Creek Trailhead. The two trails join together after a short distance. The trail then climbs 500 feet on a Aries of switchbacks to a small meadow. Most normal people will rest here while taking in the spectacular view of the Thunderer to the southeast. The trail then parallels Pebble Creek through the forest above until about 3 miles from the trailhead where it makes two crossings of the creek in 200 yards. These crossings can be thigh deep and very swift before early July. Later in the summer Pebble Creek subsides to about calf deep.

From the crossings, the trail climbs up and away from the creek for another 3 miles until it meets the Bliss Pass Trail alongside a lovely little meadow. Further on, the Pebble Creek Trail makes another crossing and then enters the Upper Meadows. From the meadows there are good views of Cutoff Mountain (west), Wolverine Peak (north) and Sunset and Meridian Peaks (east). These peaks are summer range for bighorn sheep. The trail turns south and makes another crossing of Pebble Creek at the east end of the meadows. It then climbs about 200 feet to a ridge top where there is an excellent view of the sheer north face of Abiathar Peak. The trail now winds down through forest, dropping 1,100 feet in 1.5 miles to the Northeast Entrance Road. Along this last section of the trail there is a very nice view of the valley of Soda Butte Creek and Baronette Peak to the west. This impressive peak was named after Yellowstone Jack Baronette, a mountain man, guide, army scout, assistant superintendent of the park, and builder of the first bridge over the Yellowstone River. The trail meets the road at Warm Creek Picnic Area which is about 1.5 miles from the Northeast Entrance Station.

Length: 8.0 miles.Trail Begins: Highway 212.Trail Ends: Wyoming Border

Area Map: Gallatin National Forest Visitor Map .USGS Map1: Abiathar Peak (Wyoming).USGS Map2: Cutoff Mountain (Montana - Wyoming).Township 9S; Range 13E; Section 31

Directions: Pebble Creek Trail is located 7 miles southeast of the Northeast Entrance to the Park.

Pebble Creek Trail
Yellowstone National Park, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190

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