Nugget 22: Anyone for a Picnic?

One of the great pleasures of a leisurely drive through Yellowstone Park is that many opportunities exist for picnics in beautiful spots in the woods or near lakes or streams. Along the park roads you can find about four dozen picnic areas, all with tables and restrooms. Here are six of the most delightful.

My personal favorite is the Nez Perce Creek picnic area at the start of Fountain Flats Drive and at the junction of Nez Perce Creek and the Firehole River. It has everything: a wading spot for the kids, lots of shade trees, a historic gravestone, and close access to hot springs.

It's hard to choose between the various picnic areas along Yellowstone Lake's northwest shoreline (West Thumb Junction to Fishing Bridge Junction), but I will point out one lovely place that's easy to miss. At 7.8 miles from West Thumb Junction (or 12.8 miles from Fishing Bridge Junction) is an unmarked road leading to the Park Point picnic area. The tables have a picturesque view (at left) of the lake, Flat Mountain, and Mt. Sheridan to the south.

Most popular with children who like to climb and chase marmots will be the Sheepeater Cliff picnic area on a short side road eight miles south of Mammoth Hot Springs Junction and 13 miles north of Norris Junction. A jumble of boulders has fallen off the basalt cliff (at left). (See how the Sheepeater Cliffs fit into the Geological Time Line.) A fisherman's trail follows the Gardner River from the picnic area.

The newest picnic area in the park is at 7.5 miles from the Northeast Entrance, near Ice Box Canyon. It's the Soda Butte Creek picnic area, the only picnic spot in about 26 miles of road. The canyon got its name from the fact that ice that had formed during the winter never melted in the summer, because the canyon is never exposed to sunlight.

If you're coming in to the park from the East Entrance, you might want to picnic at Eleanor Lake (7.6 miles from the entrance) or at Sylvan Lake (8.7 miles). The latter has more tables and a prettier view (at right). Both are at about 8000 feet (2400 meters) elevation, so you will never be too warm here, even in mid summer.

CREDITS: The photo of Sheepeater Cliff is by Leslie Kilduff. The other two photos are by Bruno Giletti.

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