Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
From Fishing Bridge Junction to Canyon Junction
Leaving Fishing Bridge Junction and heading north, the Grand Loop Road closely follows the
Yellowstone River all the way to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Highlights include
the unusual thermal features of the Mud Volcano area, long views of the river as it descends
gradually through the Hayden Valley, many convenient stops for fishing access and picnick-
ing, and the summer home of bison, moose, pelicans, sandhill cranes, and Canada geese.
Wolves of the Mollie's and Canyon Packs are sometimes seen from Hayden Valley turnouts, as
is the occasional grizzly bear. The distance from Fishing Bridge to Canyon is about 15 miles
(24 km).
Road Log
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Fishing Bridge Junction (sometimes called Lake Junction). Canyon Village is to the
north; Lake Village, Bridge Bay Marina, and West Thumb to the south; Fishing Bridge facilit-
ies and the East Entrance to the east.
About two miles north of the junction, burned areas on the road's west side remain from
the 2008 LeHardy fire.
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Fishing Bridge Meadows.
A good spot for watching pelicans, gulls, ducks, and
geese.
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Here and just to the north are two
LeHardy's Rapids
parking areas. A boardwalk
and footpaths lead to the river, where in June and early July you can spot trout leaping up the
rapids, returning to the lake after spawning in the river.
The walkway from the north parking lot is wheelchair-accessible and well marked.
Paul LeHardy met trouble at these rapids. He was a topographer accompanying a military
reconnaissance of the park in 1873. At the rapids his makeshift raft was sucked to the bottom,
forcing him and his partner to salvage what they could and tramp downriver to join their ex-
pedition near the falls of the Yellowstone.
The rapids are located along the center of the caldera and are part of the evidence that the
tilting up of the lake basin at this end is due to movement of magma deep in the earth.
