Exploring Yellowstone Upper Loop with Limited Mobility: Best Stops for Wheelchairs, Walkers, and Canes

Yellowstone Canyon's Lookout Point Has Areas with good accessibility.

Yellowstone National Park, with its vast landscapes and geothermal wonders, offers numerous accessible attractions for visitors with mobility challenges. It was my late father’s favorite on Earth, and I’ve used his notes from his last trip with my late mother, along with some updated information to create this article.

From wheelchair-friendly boardwalks to gentle trails suitable for canes and walkers, Yellowstone National Park has tons of accessible natural wonders to enjoy. Yet, in some places, it can be hard to know how the going will be just from the look of the parking lot.  

This is a guide to some of the most accessible sights and activities on Yellowstone's Upper Loop, including the best bathroom stops, picnic spots, and a few special notes from my father. I did my best to organize it as an upper loop and lower loop itinerary that you should be able to cover in two days.

You should be able to cover these in one day if you’re starting out from West Yellowstone, Madison Village, Gardiner, or the Canyon Village area. There’s a separate link for picnic spots and some bathroom recommendations as well.

Yellowstone Car Rentals

If you're flying to Yellowstone major airports like Salt Lake City, Utah and Bozeman Montana offer a modest selection of rental cars. I find it's best to reserve the car in advance, as selection is sometimes limited. Especially during peak summer tourism season. My late father and I found Discover Cars had the best access to the widest range of minivans and handicap accessible vehicles.

Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces (Upper Viewing Area)

Bathrooms: There are good bathrooms with handicap accessible flushing toilets at the nearby park Headquarters in Mammoth.

Easiest Route: The spot with the fewest steps is straight out from the main parking area, near the Liberty Cap stone.

Just outside of Gardiner and Yellowstone’s North Entrance, Mammoth Hot Springs is a travertine geothermal feature with tons of boardwalks. The lower boardwalks are easily navigable if you’re using a cane, but there aren’t a lot of places to sit down.

Liberty Cap Stone at Mammoth Hot Springs marks the easiest path to the geothermal lower terraces.

When my mother walked this with her cane, she started wishing for a bench after 20 minutes or so. The shape of the place is constantly changing, so it’s hard to say what edits will be made to the boardwalk from year to year.

NOTE: The Upper Terrace Drive at Mammoth Hot Springs has paved surfaces for walking but very little parking. It’s a nice sightseeing drive with minimal traffic.

Undine Falls

Bathrooms: None

Easiest Route: A few steps on West parking area to overlook

Just east of Mammoth, on Yellowstone’s upper look, the Undine falls overlook requires minimal walking required with only a few steps. Unfortunately, it’s not really wheelchair accessible.

If you’re looking for a tiny taste of a wild hike in Yellowstone, there’s an unofficial trail on the east side of the parking area that will take you to the brink of Undine Falls.

Forces of the Northern Range Trail

Bathrooms: None

Easiest Route: Follow the boardwalk, then go right.

This boardwalk trail doesn’t have any real steps and will take you through a little wooded area to view a series of glacial erratic boulders. There are various stops in the wooded area with multiple benches to sit down for a rest. It’s a little over 100 yards between the parking area and a bench.

Blacktail Plateau Drive (Optional)

Bathrooms: None

Easiest Route: Drive in the car to a parking blister.

Blacktail Plateau with a black bear in the distance.

Blacktail Plateau Drive is a one-way grave road that splits off to the right (South) a mile east of the Forces of the Northern Range Trailhead. Then it rejoins the Grand Loop Road 6 miles later. My late father used to call it his “Shortcut to get away from all the guys squinting at elk on the horizon.”

It’s a nice little scenic drive through the wild parts of Yellowstone, with a good chance of spotting wildlife. There are occasional blisters and back country trailheads dotted along it.

NOTE: This is a one-way minimum maintenance road that can be very bumpy if the Park Service hasn’t recently graded it. If you see any signs of washboard gravel, I’d skip this pelvis-shaking road.

Tower/Roosevelt Service Station & Lodge

Bathrooms: Handicap accessible bathrooms available

There’s a service station and general store here with handicap accessible bathrooms and flushing toilets. There’s not a lot to see here, but it’s a handy place to gas up and use the facilities if you need to.

The Lamar Valley (Optional)

Highway 212 branches off of the Grand Loop Road at Tower Junction and goes deep into the heart of the Lamar Valley. There are tons of great places to spot wildlife and have a picnic that I covered in Yellowstone Itinerary: Gardiner & Lamar Valley. 

It’s certainly worth seeing, with a lot to view from the car. For the purposes of this Yellowstone accessibility article, we’ll continue on toward Yellowstone Canyon.

Tower Falls Overlook

Bathrooms: Handicap accessible bathrooms at the Tower Falls General Store

Easiest Route: The paved trail that branches left to the overlook.

Tower Falls is just past the non-mobility-friendly Calcite Springs overlook and offers a smoothly paved trail. Just stick to the left when it branches out, as the right fork of the trail takes you down into the canyon on steps and rugged declines.

The Tower Falls General store has good bathrooms, and they’re decently stocked. If you didn’t pack a picnic lunch but you’re starting to get famished, this is a nice place to pick up some snacks and drinks.

NOTE: There are even a few rocks at the paved section of the Tower Falls Overlook that you could perhaps use as a table for a picnic!

Yellowstone Canyon Handicap Accessible Areas

There are a lot of different stops around Yellowstone Canyon and the Village. Not all of them are truly handicap accessible. So, I wanted to break the best spots in detail. The Yellowstone Canyon Eatery is a bit expensive, but if you want a sit-down meal for lunch, this is your best spot on this itinerary.

Bathrooms: Handicap accessible bathrooms at the Canyon General Store, Visitor’s Center, Eatery, and Lodge.

North Rim Brink of the Lower Falls (Optional)

According to my father’s notes, my mother made the walk down to the Brink of the Lower Falls using just her sturdy cane in one hand and a walking pole in the other. My mother was also a tough old bird, and I think the walk back is taxing for someone with limited mobility. So, if you’re bound and determined, it’s doable with a cane, but I think your energy might be better spent elsewhere around the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.

North Rim Trail Overlook

On the eastern edge of the parking area there are two paved overlooks that are wheelchair accessible. This is the closest you can get to the lower falls without committing to an arduous walk.

North Rim Lookout Point

This is a paved trail leading to the Lookout Point, which is where most of the Yellowstone’s lower falls pictures are taken. I’ve stood here five times in my life, and the trail has definitely improved since the goat path it was in the 1980s.

Yellowstone Canyon's Lookout Point

There’s a modest decline to the trail, and it’s doable with a power wheelchair. However, a manual wheelchair might need to be careful about a controlled descent or have someone helping you.

NOTE: On the east end of Lookout Point’s parking area, there is a short, level path to the metal boardwalk platform. You’ll still get a decent view, and it’s much less taxing than the decline/incline of Lookout Point.

Upper Falls View at Uncle Tom’s Trail

Bathrooms: Handicap accessible

This is technically considered to be a mobility accessible trail. However, it was too much for my mother as it had steep but not treacherous stretches. Some internet sources would have you believe that this isn’t that tough, but it’s sort of the Rocky Balboa training in Russia of handicap accessible trails in Yellowstone.

Artist’s Point

Bathrooms: Vault Toilets

Easiest Route: Follow the paved trail and avoid the steps to the left.

Artist’s Point is one of the best handicap accessible places to view Yellowstone Canyon on the South Rim drive. The trail is nicely paved; just avoid the first left, which has steps. If you stay straight, the paved trail will curve around on a gentle slope.

Ice Lake Trail on Norris Basin Road

Bathrooms: None

Easiest Route: Stay straight and don’t fork to the left.

NOTE: There’s a tiny speck of a sign on the right just before the parking area.

Yellowstone's Ice Lake offers mobility-challenged individuals the opportunity to get a small taste of a Yellowstone back country hike.

If you asked me, “Eric, I’m pretty good with a cane or walking pole, and I’d like to try a short hike to experience a small taste of the wild backcountry experience of Yellowstone, where would you recommend?” My answer would be “The Ice Lake Trail just off Norris Canyon Road.”

The hike up to Ice Lake is roughly a quarter mile, with very little elevation gain. It's easily doable with a sturdy cane or quality walking poles. A wheelchair could make it with perhaps a little help.

There’s a campsite at the lake’s edge, so be respectful if someone is staying there. Otherwise, you’ll be treated to a picturesque little alpine lake.

Norris Geyser Basin

Bathrooms: At the Museum & Visitor’s Center

Easiest Route: To the North and then Right of the Museum

Yellowstone's Steamboat Geyser is very active and modestly accessible via Norris Geyser Boardwalk.

Norris Geyser Basin is one of the best mobility-friendly places on Yellowstone’s North Loop. The Museum and Visitor’s Center has good bathrooms and things to see and do.

The areas of the Norris Geyser Basin near the visitor center as accessible via a boardwalk system. The easiest route is to the north of the Visitor’s center, which makes a loop to the right.

If you’re more adventurous and have a fair amount of energy, you could go south of the Visitor’s Center, where the boardwalk declines modestly.

There are a few distantly spaced-out benches to take a rest. Eventually, it curls to the east at Steamboat Geyser. In my opinion, this is the second most active and impressive geyser in Yellowstone after Old Faithful. Yet it usually isn’t as crowded.

Final Thoughts on Yellowstone’s Mobility-Friendly Noth Loop

Yellowstone’s North Loop features a fair number of mobility-friendly attractions and Villages with handicap-accessible bathrooms. Many of them, such as Tower Falls Overlook, Artist’s Point at Yellowstone Canyon, and Mammoth Hot Springs, have well-paved trails or boardwalks.

If you’re confident with a cane or walking poles and you want to experience a low-impact wilderness hike, the Ice Lake Trail on the Norris Basin Road might be the best option. I’d recommend visiting it early in the day when you’re full of energy. It’s perfectly positioned in between the Yellowstone Canyon Village and Norris Geyser Basin.

To learn more about Yellowstone accessibility, travel guides, and gear, you should follow Eric Beuning's Author Page.