Heart Lake

Yellowstone National Park was established on March 1, 1872 and is the first and oldest national park in the world. The park includes Old Faithful Geyser and some 10,000 hot springs and geysers, the majority of the planet’s total. These geothermal wonders are evidence of one of the world’s largest active volcanoes; its last eruption created a crater or caldera that spans almost half of the park.  An outstanding mountain wildland with clean water and air, Yellowstone is home of the grizzly bear and wolf, and free-ranging herds of bison and elk. It is the core of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, one of the largest intact temperate zone ecosystems remaining on the planet. The human history of the park dates back 12,000 years. The events of the last 130 years of park history are reflected in the historic structures and sites associated with various periods of park administration and visitor facilities development.

Heart Lake at 7,461 feet is a large backcountry lake that is nestled at the base of Mount Sheridan in Yellowstone National Park.  The hike to lake starts in the southwestern corner of Yellowstone National Park. Our route passes campsites on the Snake River and at Basin Creek Lake and Heart Lake. Both the river and the lakes are loaded with trout which makes for some great fishing if that’s of interest. There is also some choice soaking spots where hot springs mix with the Snake River or Witch Creek. The Park Service only allows soaking in these mixed water areas and not in the hot springs themselves. Regardless, you’ll really enjoy this hike and you’ll have a chance to see a lot of wildlife and some areas still affected by the Yellowstone fires of 1988.