Hiked 12 miles round trip (we decided not to descend down to Heart Lake). There were about half dozen vehicles on the road near the trailhead when we arrived at 10am. Saw 4 groups of backpackers. Trail was a bit overgrown but no big deal. Absolutely beautiful wildflowers — too many varieties to count! The hillsides were blanketed with Indian paintbrush. A few spots of the trail had loose rock and a steep drop off. Lily Basin was absolutely gorgeous. Enjoyed some of the best berries I ever tasted!!
Type of Hike
Day hikeTrail Conditions
Trail in good conditionRoad
Road suitable for all vehiclesBugs
No bugsSnow
Snow free
Comments
hikethe100 on Heart Lake via Lily Basin Trail
Thank you for the trip report, and beautiful photos! How was the drive up to the trailhead? A recent report suggested the road has experienced significant degradation over the winter - what did you observe?
Posted by:
hikethe100 on Aug 04, 2025 08:41 PM
KileyBee on Heart Lake via Lily Basin Trail
Hi there! The road up to the trailhead wasn’t too bad, we made it just fine in our Subaru Outback. There were vehicles with much lower clearance parked at the trailhead. Maybe a few potholes and one very short rocky incline. There was a portion of the road where the brush was kinda overgrown but nothing too terrible. Hope you can make it out to this trail soon! Take care.
Posted by:
KileyBee on Aug 04, 2025 09:26 PM
NichelleT on Heart Lake via Lily Basin Trail
Hi there! Was there any snow on this trail/down towards Heart Lake?(From what you could see since you didn't go down to the lake. )
Posted by:
NichelleT on Aug 05, 2025 09:19 AM
KileyBee on Heart Lake via Lily Basin Trail
Hello! The trail was snow free and from what we could see from our turnaround point (the junction with the Angry Mountain trail) there didn’t appear to be any snow. All the backpackers that we spoke with on their way out who camped at Heart Lake said it was fantastic. Hope this helps! Take care!
Posted by:
KileyBee on Aug 05, 2025 05:44 PM
Milky Way on Heart Lake via Lily Basin Trail
Thank you for the trail data as my group is headed there soon. I’m wondering if you could say more about the section o trail that has steep drop off and loose rock.
Posted by:
Milky Way on Aug 06, 2025 10:15 AM
KileyBee on Heart Lake via Lily Basin Trail
Hi Milky Way, there were a couple sections where you’re hiking on the ridge line (I tried to capture this in a couple of my photos) and the trail is sandy/rocky. Good to know just in case anyone in your group has a fear of heights or susceptible to vertigo. My hiking companion had no trouble at all on these sections, while I was a bit nervous. Having a trekking pole was very helpful! Happy Trails :)
Posted by:
KileyBee on Aug 06, 2025 10:38 AM