Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Call the
Hebgen Lake Ranger District
(
406-823-6961)
in West Yellowstone for
information on all of these.
QUAKE LAKE: THE NIGHT THE MOUNTAINS
MOVED
Just before midnight on August 17, 1959, an earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale ripped the landscape
of the Upper Madison Valley. As two huge fault blocks tilted and dropped, a massive 80-million-ton landslide
suddenly pulverized two campgrounds, before rising halfway up the opposite valley wall.
The slip caused Hebgen Lake's north shore to drop 18ft, flooding lakeshore houses and lodges. Gaps opened up
in highways, and cars crashed into the gaping holes in classic disaster-movie style.
Hurricane-force winds caused by the slide then rushed down the valley, tearing off campers' clothes and creat-
ing a huge wave on the lake. Mini tsunamis sloshed up and down the lake for the next 12 hours, pouring over the
Hebgen Lake Dam, which, amazingly, held firm.
The slide blocked the Madison River, and the waters of newborn Quake Lake soon started to fill, rising 9ft a
day as engineers worked around the clock to cut a spillway and avoid a second catastrophic flood. In a final fan-
fare, several hundred of Yellowstone's thermal features simultaneously erupted.
After the dust settled, it was discovered that 28 people had been killed, mostly in the Rock Creek campsite.
Nineteen bodies were never found, presumably entombed under the slide. The quake had been felt in California,
and water tables were affected as far away as Hawaii.
Viewing the Site
The best way these days to get to grips with the enormity of the quake, the largest ever to hit the Rockies, is to
visit the
Madison River Canyon Earthquake Area Visitors Center
(Quake Lake visitor center;
406-682-7620; admission $3; 8:30am-6pm Memorial Day-Labor Day)
, at the end of Quake Lake. Drive up
to the interpretive trail for a vista of the dramatic slide area and a memorial boulder inscribed with the names of
28 campers killed in the slide. A dock at the eastern end of Quake Lake allows boaters to glide past the surreal
submerged treetops.
The following sites, listed west-east, can be seen on the drive back to West Yellowstone:
»
Cabin Creek Scarp Area
Highlights a 21ft-tall scarp that opened up along the Hebgen Lake fault line. One
campsite actually straddled the fault, with the picnic table left above the scarp and the fire ring 21ft below.
»
Refuge Point
Rangers lead a 1.5-mile guided walk from here to view Ghost Village Thursdays at 10am (mid-
July to mid-September). Call the visitor center for details. The ski loop here makes for a great 2.3-mile hike in
summer but the trail is faint so you need to keep a close eye on the blue diamond tree markers.
»
Ghost Village
A half-dozen cabins lie stranded in the plain here, deposited by the post-earthquake flood. To get
here turn off the highway toward Campfire Lodge and then branch right down a dirt road. The cabins are on the
other side of the river.
»
Submerged Cabins
Ten miles further east along Hwy 287 a road leads off to a parking area and a short trail to
Hebgen Lake, where you can see three partly submerged cabins destroyed by the slide.
