Lewis Lake to Shoshone Lake Loop

Dogs No Dogs

Features Birding · Commonly Backpacked · Fishing · Lake · River/Creek · Swimming · Views · Wildlife

The Lewis Lake Channel Loop is a great moderate run to Yellowstone National Park's Shoshone Lake, the Lower 48's largest backcountry lake. The run is relatively flat with less than 500 feet of elevation gain. Fishing is an option on the north end of Lewis Lake, the Lewis Channel, and Shoshone Lake.

Yellowstone backcountry permits are required for all overnight trips. Find information on the national park's website or at Recreation.gov

The run consist of an 11-mile loop that leads from the Lewis River Channel Trail to Shoshone Lake and returns on the Dogshead Trail. Starting at the Shoshone/Dogshead Trail, the run takes you through thick contiguous young stands of lodgepole pine before reaching the north shore of Lewis Lake. If the weather is clear, take in the views of the Red Mountains to the east and the Grand Tetons to the south.

After crossing the north shore of Lewis Lake, the trail drops into the Lewis River Channel. The channel meanders just below the Pitchstone Plateau, and the clear water and deep blue pools will entice any fisherman to explore its potential. Boaters also use the channel as a paddling route to access Shoshone Lake's 20 backcountry campsites. Great swimming holes are worth checking out around the 5-mile mark, where the river takes a large bend and basalt blocks jet out into the river, over clear pools.

At mile 6.2 the channel opens up into the marshy south shores of Shoshone Lake. Take a right toward the Dogshead Trail and follow for 0.2 miles. For an overnighter, look into reserving campsite 8S1, a beautiful lakeside campsite with a short trail to a rocky beach on the southeast shores of the lake. A patrol cabin shortly past the campground to the north also provides lake access and a picnic table, making it a great place to take a break before returning on the Dogshead Trail.

Return to the trailhead on the 4.6-mile Dogshead Trail. The Dogshead Trail returns through thick lodgepole pine stands and marshy ponds, a common landscape when running the broad Yellowstone plateaus. Wildflowers fill the empty spaces in the spring, and occasional clearings provide good views of the red mountains.