Yellowstone gets four million visitors a year. Almost none of them come here, to what is arguably the park's most unique spot. Superintendent Philetus Norris, the first paid superintendent of the park, called Hoodoo Basin "Goblin Land" when he explored it in 1880. He was so taken with the area that he had the trail built that visitors use today. The hoodoos themselves are volcanic formations, shaped by 50 million years of eruption and erosion into forms that previous visitors have said resemble gargoyles, giants, and figures that can’t be described. Photographs don't do it justice.

Wildflower season in Cody and East Yellowstone is short, brilliant, and accessible. Five hikes—from easy family loops in Yellowstone to the quad-burning climb up Bald Ridge—where the show is worth every step. Grab your bug spray, watch the afternoon sky, and get out there before August closes the curtain.

This out-and-back route follows the south rim of the Clark’s Fork Canyon and delivers wide views into Sunlight Basin, the canyon below, Heart Mountain, and Cody. Although those landmarks are visible along much of the trail, the setting feels more remote and wilder than you would expect. From the summit of Bald Peak, you can look more than 3,000 vertical feet down into one of the area’s most dramatic canyons.

Pat O’Hara Trail is a local favorite because the entire route is gorgeous. Even the first few moments on the trail include sweeping views into the North Absaroka Wilderness.

This is a 2.5 mile hike, one way, to a large, deep, picturesque

lake near the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

This is a short, family-friendly hike that quickly gives you a taste of Yellowstone’s wilderness, wildlife, and panoramas.

Even when snow is scarce in Cody, Yellowstone’s East Entrance Road transforms into a snowy dreamland in winter. Travel through Sylvan Pass on foot like the old days when pack trains passed carefully between the avalanche-prone slopes. Or consider a walk-in winter camping trip to the shore of Yellowstone Lake. For locals used to seeing the lake in summer, the vast, icy-white version is a magical sight.

Lonesome Mountain rises majestically above the already high Beartooth Plateau. The 11,400-foot summit beckons Beartooth adventurers, but the mountain’s slopes are a challenging boulder scramble. From the top, enjoy rugged scenes of the alternating rocky peaks and alpine lakes of the entire Beartooth Mountain Range.