Picnic area · Yellowstone National Park
A lakeside picnic with boats moving through Bridge Bay
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Yellowstone Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Yellowstone National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Yellowstone audio tourRecorded for this place
Bridge Bay Marina“You're coming up on Bridge Bay Marina, the stop for getting out onto Yellowstone Lake. During the boating season, you can rent a motorboat for up to six people, take a scenic cruise, or join a guided fishing trip.”
Plays as you drive up to Bridge Bay Picnic Area in the Parkwolf Yellowstone Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“First time driving through a national park. We used the Yellowstone tour on grand loop Road and it’s just like having a tour guide in your car with you.”
Guide
Bridge Bay Picnic Area is a designated lakeside picnic site along the north side of the marina, near the road bridge. The draw is straightforward: eat outside by the lake and watch boats move in and out of the bay. It’s a handy pause during a day around Bridge Bay, not a place that needs a long visit.
There are 23 picnic tables, including one marked accessible, one accessible vault toilet and three fire grates. Bring drinking water: Madison is the only Yellowstone picnic area identified as having potable water. Camp stoves and self-contained charcoal grills are allowed at picnic areas; open campfires are allowed only where grates are provided. Keep food, trash, coolers and cooking gear secured from bears whenever they aren’t in use.
The marina, campground and general store are separate facilities in the wider Bridge Bay complex. Count on this as a picnic stop, and bring your meal and water rather than assuming those services are part of the picnic area.
Wildlife
713 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
743 sightingsWolfMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
5,273 sightingsBisonMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
3,258 sightingsElkMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
397 sightingsMooseMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
1,494 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Yellowstone. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyNatural Bridge Trail2.5 mi · 1.5 hr · 0.2 mi awayA gentle forest walk to a rhyolite arch above Bridge Creek.
ModerateElephant Back Mountain Trail3.9 mi · 2.5 hr · 2.4 mi awayA steady forest climb to a broad Yellowstone Lake view.
ModerateHoward Eaton Trail: Fishing Bridge to Canyon13.5 mi · 7 hr · 3.9 mi awayA long river-side traverse opens into Hayden Valley meadows.
EasyPelican Creek Nature Trail0.8 mi · 45 min · 4.2 mi awayA short forest loop opens onto Pelican Creek and Yellowstone Lake.
Sight · 0.2 mi awayBridge Bay MarinaRent a boat or take a guided trip onto Yellowstone Lake.
Campground · 0.5 mi awayBridge Bay CampgroundA lake-country base where bison sometimes wander through camp.Sight · 1.1 mi awayNatural BridgeA 51-foot arch carved by Bridge Creek, reached on a forest walk.
Picnic area · 1.1 mi awayGull Point Picnic AreaA shaded lunch stop with a short walk to the lake.
Picnic area · 2 mi awayLake Village Picnic AreaFour picnic tables for a lakeshore meal break.
Lodging · 2.2 mi awayLake Yellowstone Hotel and CabinsA historic hotel with Yellowstone Lake views and a grand old lobby.
Store · 2.3 mi awayLake General StoreIce cream and general supplies in a 1919 octagonal lakeside shop.
Lodging · 2.5 mi awayLake Lodge CabinsA summer cabin base with a rocking-chair view of Yellowstone Lake.Parkwolf’s Yellowstone ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
