Yellowstone Lake

The largest high-altitude lake in North America above 2,100 m. Hot springs in the West Thumb Geyser Basin steam right on its shore.

Yellowstone Lake covers about 352 square km, sits at an elevation of 2,357 m and has a shoreline of about 227 km. It is the largest freshwater lake above 7,000 feet in North America, and hot springs and steam vents also lie on its lake bed. The West Thumb Geyser Basin in the southwest corner is a highlight. A 1.5 km boardwalk runs along the shore, with the sapphire-blue Abyss Pool and Black Pool right at the lakeside. The famous Fishing Cone is a sinter cone standing in the lake. In the 19th century, visitors fished here and cooked their catch by dropping it straight into the spring, a practice now banned. On the north shore, Lake Village has the yellow colonial-style Lake Yellowstone Hotel, built in 1891. At sunset, you can listen to piano in the hotel's sunroom and enjoy the view of the lake. The Bridge Bay dock offers one-hour summer lake cruises and fishing boat rentals. Fishing Bridge, at the lake's northern outlet, is now closed to fishing but is a good place to watch the Yellowstone River flow out of the lake. Heading north, Hayden Valley is a grassland where bison and grizzly bears roam, and traffic often jams at dusk when animals cross the road. Along the east shore, the lake stretches as vast as Lake Superior, with the Absaroka Range to the east. The lake is about 35 km from the South Entrance and about 30 km from Old Faithful.

Yellowstone Lake

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Places to eat nearby