Backpacking Yellowstone National Park – Heart Lake via South Boundary (Video)

Prior to August of 2022, I had spent multiple nights in multiple places within the vast backcountry of Yellowstone National Park. An overnight trip to Shoshone Lake, a three-day fishing adventure on the banks of Sportsman Lake via horseback had taken me into bear country to sleep in a tent, and I’d also car-camped at two other established campgrounds within the park itself.

It was that August, however, where I finally stretched my legs for a multi-day backpacking trek into the backcountry, with a nearly 55 mile lollipop loop route planned out of the South Boundary trailhead on the docket. It would take our group of four east across the Snake River before turning north towards the Heart River canyon, eventually landing us on the shores of Heart Lake underneath 10,000+ foot peak Mount Sheridan.

While we were permitted for a 6-day, 5-night trip, we ended up hoofing it out a day early on an epic 15+ mile day from the western shores of Heart Lake all the way back to the South Boundary trailhead and the south entrance to the park itself. That was spurred on partially by our desire to get past our diet of dehydrated meals and back to some real food (and beer), and also a tad bit because we’d stumbled across a trio of grizzlies earlier in the day that made the entire trip reach a level of accomplishment that needed no further drama.

I’ve written about that trip extensively before, but I finally got around to stitching some of the footage I took on the trip together into a short YouTube video which I’ve embedded below. Admittedly, not much (if any) of that footage was taken with creating a larger, longer video down the road, but some of the scenery is simply beautiful enough to encapsulate that aspect of the trip even if it doesn’t truly serve as a guide itself.

Enjoy!

If You Go…

• This route was approximately 55 miles, and given the time of year when we visited (August), there was enough daylight for us to probably accomplish it comfortably in just 4 days had we tried to push it. As I mentioned earlier, though, you could spend a week and a half up there simply enjoying the beauty and still find things to do.
• A similar southern route can be accomplished by approaching up the Fox Creek Trail from the Fox Creek Trailhead east of the South Entrance. The Fox Creek Trail actually doubles as the CDT, which quite literally follows the Snake from its actual headwaters near Two Ocean Pass.
• This route is entirely within Yellowstone National Park, meaning you’ll need a permit to pull it off. Here’s a previous year guide for how to land one of those backcountry permits that I’ll update for 2026 when the details roll out, as well as my guide to choosing routes and campsites should you land a permit. The early-access window for 2026 backcountry permits opens on March 1st!
• For my money, the best map of the area is Trails Illustrated #305 (Yellowstone Lake/Yellowstone National Park SE). The first couple of miles of the South Boundary Trail run off this particular map (so, the final miles on the return), but roughly 95% of the route is on this lone map. It comes as part of the larger four-pack of maps that cover all four corners of the land within Yellowstone boundaries.
• Plan at your own risk. Even the most straightforward on-trail day hikes in Yellowstone can involve varying terrain, changing weather, and off conditions. Every additional variable added to the most basic of hikes – overnight camping, food storage, unpredictable wildlife, water conditions, etc. – ony serves to augment the risk. Always check with Yellowstone backcountry rangers for updated conditions before beginning any trip, and I’d advise you to consult with them before booking one, too.