Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
entrances to two Forest Service campgrounds and a private one, Yellowstone Airport, and a
ranger station before entering West Yellowstone.
Quake Lake
If you're entering or leaving the park via the West Entrance, it's worthwhile to allow time
for a visit to Earthquake Lake (often shortened to Quake Lake), northwest of West Yellow-
stone on U.S. 287. This is the site of the devastating August 17, 1959, earthquake and huge
landslide that killed 28 people, most of them campers in a now-buried campground.
The landslide, caused by an earthquake of Richter magnitude 7.3, dammed the Madis-
on River, forming the lake. This earthquake affected Yellowstone's Upper and Lower Geyser
Basins more than 35 miles away.
Quake Lake was created by a huge landslide.
Start your visit at the Forest Service visitor center, where you'll find exhibits and in-
formation about the earthquake and how a potential Madison River flood was avoided.
Hebgen Dam, completed in 1915, cracked but did not give way in the quake.
W
EST
Y
ELLOWSTONE,
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ONTANA
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ELLOWSTONE
A
IRPORT
Population: 1,270 1.2 mi. (1.8 km) N
Motel and hotel accommodations and other tourist facilities are available throughout the year
in the town of West Yellowstone. It's possible to travel by public bus between West Yellowstone
and Bozeman, the only regularly scheduled public bus connection between one of the gate-
way communities and a larger city.
In winter, you can arrange snowcoach transportation from West Yellowstone to Old Faith-
ful Village through the park concessionaire and several other companies. A snowcoach can
carry 10 to 12 people in relative comfort over unplowed roads. In addition to serving as a
starting point for snowcoaches, West Yellowstone is a major center for snowmobile rental.
