Yellowstone National Park - Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks - page 145

FISHING BRIDGE TO EAST ENTRANCE
There are a couple of great family hiking trails west of Fishing Bridge. At Pelican Creek
Bridge , 1 mile east of Fishing Bridge Visitor Center, an easy 1.3-mile loop nature trail
winds through lodgepole forest to a pleasant beach and lake views. Keep an eye out for
moose and springtime grizzlies in the wetlands. The lakeside ponds south of the highway
offer great birdwatching.
Formed by a giant steam (not lava) explosion, Storm Point, 1.5 miles further east, juts
into the north end of the lake. The 2.3-mile (90 minutes) Storm Point Trail begins near
Indian Pond, strolling through diverse wildlife habitats including meadows, shoreline and
old forest. Wildlife is particularly active around dusk and dawn: try spotting bison, moose,
marmots and waterfowl. Rangers lead a guided hike here at 10am. The trail closes in late
spring and early summer due to bear activity and can be buggy early in summer. Just east
of Storm Point, a dirt road branches north to the Pelican Valley Trailhead ( Click here ) ;
the lush meandering meadows here rank among the park's prime grizzly habitats.
Like West Thumb, crater-shaped Mary Bay is the result of a thermal explosion. Both
Mary Bay and neighboring Sedge Bay are peppered with underwater thermal areas, of
which roiling Steamboat Point is the most obvious. Sedge Bay beach is a launching
point for canoe or kayak trips south along the lake's east shoreline and is a fine place for a
picnic. Birdwatchers flock to the bay's southeast corner.
As the East Entrance Rd turns away from the lake, a mile-long paved road (no buses or
trailers) branches north to the Lake Butte Overlook , which offers grand sunset views of
Yellowstone Lake and the remote Thorofare corner of the park. Further east is the less im-
pressive Yellowstone Lake Overlook.
The main road gradually climbs up the west slope of the remote Absaroka Range past
lovely Sylvan Lake (with a picnic area and catch-and-release fishing), Eleanor Lake and
the Avalanche Peak Trailhead ( Click here ) . The road peaks at the avalanche area of
Sylvan Pass (8530ft), dominated by 10,238ft Top Notch Peak to the south. Look for the
Howitzer gun mounted on the south side of the pass, employed to set off controlled ava-
lanches during the dangerous winter months.
East of the pass the landscape becomes more rugged and impressive. The high barren
walls of Mt Langford (10,774ft) and Plenty Coups Peak (10,937ft) rise to the south.
Middle Creek, with several good fishing spots, parallels the south side of the road.
The East Entrance marks the boundary between Yellowstone National Park and Shos-
hone National Forest. From here the Buffalo Bill Scenic Byway leads to Cody via the
Wapiti Valley ( Click here ) .