Yellowstone is known for its thermal features, Hayden Valley, and all the wildlife that occupies the park. But by far one of the largest features of the park is Yellowstone Lake. The park has several marinas on the lake. We stumbled into the ability to rent boats and explore the lake at Bridge Bay Marina on the way to hike Natural Bridge trail. So of course, we returned a few days later for a boating adventure. Keep reading to see all the things we did on and around Yellowstone Lake, plus the other things that are available!
Hiking Natural Bridge
The trail head for this popular hike is located along the road to bridge bay marina, right next to the campground. The trail to Natural Bridge is about 3.1 miles with only 216 feet of elevation. And you can avoid basically all of the elevation gain by not going to the top of the bridge.
The first section of the hike is through a gorgeous wooded area. We had to climb over a few downed trees, but what would a hike be without that. The trail then joins a semi-paved path that is also accessible to bikes. This section of the trail takes you along bridge creek and right to the base of Natural Bridge. During July there was barely a trickle of water flowing under the bridge, but the creek itself was flowing well.
For the more adventurous – me, that is me – you had hike up a little hill via some switch backs and walk across the top of the natural bridge. This was my favorite part of this hike! We even saw a shy goffer in the cracks of the rocks. And the view included Yellowstone Lake.
Overall this trail was a great, quick hike to break up the monotony of driving all over creation – I mean Yellowstone National Park. It is a more popular hike and definitely not secluded, but I would say its a cant miss quick stop. Check ahead of time though, the area is closed during the spring because bears love to fish in Bridge Creek. The best place to check is the NPS page for the Natural Bridge trail.
Boating on Yellowstone Lake
A few days after hiking Natural Bridge we returned to Bridge Bay Marina for a completely different adventure. We rented a little boat and headed out to adventure around the Yellowstone Lake. Boat rentals are available from National Parks Lodges at two of the marinas in the park for $62/hour. So with the swipe of a credit card we were off to explore the park from a different angle.
We headed directly across the Yellowstone Lake first to Steamboat Point. This area on the east side of the lake had steam vents that were actively going off, so naturally we had to go check it out. It was completely different from the other thermal features we had seen because they were right along the lake shore.
Next we headed to Stevenson Island. While you cannot get out and explore the island, there is an old wooden boat wreck. The Wreck of the EC Waters is on the south west side of the island. It was a bit difficult to spot at first, but we did find it. Then it was back to the marina to return the boat and continue on with our day of planned adventures and driving.
Before you go
Everything at Bridge Bay Marina is super accessible. We did not have any issues parking, but in the summer I could definitely see it getting packed. We were also able to rent the boat as a walk-up rental, and they are always first come first serve. Don’t want to drive the boat yourself, also check out the charters that are available, including for fishing. OR, even better, bring your own boat! But be sure to know all the regulations and fees associated with that. NPS outlines them on their website!
Yellowstone Lake is MASSIVE! Looking at maps it honestly does not being to explain how big the lake is – 132 square miles of surface water! Like everything in Yellowstone this meant it took time to get across the lake even though it looks so close. The water temperatures are around 41 degrees fahrenheit in the summer, and the lake freezes completely over in the winter. The deepest spot in the lake is 390 feet, and some really large fish can be found in the lake. Okay – enough random facts about Yellowstone Lake.
Like most national parks, Yellowstone is not very dog friendly. Rightfully so with all the thermal features. My pup Winter sat out on this adventure. The park fees are standard, and they do honor the national parks pass if you have one, which of course we did.
There is so much more to Yellowstone National Park than what is featured in this blog post. Check out the National Parks Page on the website to see all the other adventures we had over our 10 days visit. These adventures include:
- Geyser Basins of Yellowstone
- Artists Point – Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
- Hiking to Ribbon Lake
- Hiking Mystic Falls and Biscuit Basin Overlook
- Driving All of Yellowstone in 1 Day + All the fun roadside viewpoints and stops
- Hiking Cascade Creek Falls
PLUS on this trip we spent time in Grand Tetons National Park hiking and exploring.
- Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point
- Two Oceans Lake
- Grand View Point
- Hiking Taggert and Bradley Lake Loop