Picnic area · Yellowstone National Park
A picnic-table stop beside the Cascade Lake trailhead.
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
Cascade Lake Trailhead“Up ahead is the Cascade Lake trailhead, for an easy walk through lodgepole pine and wildflower meadows to a shore edged with lily pads.”
Plays as you drive up to Cascade Lake 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
Cascade Lake Picnic Area is a developed picnic stop in Yellowstone’s Canyon area at Dunraven Pass, beside the Cascade Lake Trailhead. It’s a useful place to sit down for a meal on the high-country drive: there are 16 picnic tables, five fire grates and one wheelchair-accessible vault toilet. Bring your own food; no food service is listed here.
A dedicated lot serves the Cascade Lake Trailhead beside the picnic area, with the restroom just east of that lot. Dunraven Pass is a high-elevation road with weather-dependent seasonal openings and closures; it usually opens in late May and can close in October. Check Yellowstone’s road status before routing your day through it. Keep food, trash, coolers and cooking gear in a bear-proof container except while you’re using them. Fires are allowed only in picnic areas equipped with fire grates.
The picnic area is beside the start of the moderate 4.4-mile out-and-back Cascade Lake Trail, which crosses open meadows to the lake. It’s a real hike, not a short stroll from the tables. The trail can stay wet or snowy into July, and grizzlies frequent the area; carry bear spray and hike in a group of three or more. Dogs aren’t allowed on the trail.
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
ChallengingObservation Peak Trail9.6 mi · 5.5 hr · 0.3 mi awayMeadows and a lake lead to a fire lookout above the valley.
EasyCascade Lake Trail4.4 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.3 mi awayFollow open meadows to a lake edged with lily pads.
EasyCascade Creek Trail3.4 mi · 2 hr · 1.4 mi awayAn easy creek-and-meadow walk to the Cascade Lake Trail junction.
ModerateHoward Eaton Trail: Canyon to Ice Lake10.7 mi · 5.5 hr · 1.4 mi awayA long one-way traverse past four lakes, meadow, and marsh.
ChallengingSeven Mile Hole Trail10 mi · 6.5 hr · 1.7 mi awaySilver Cord Cascade first, then the steep drop to the river.
ChallengingMount Washburn Spur Trail16.2 mi · 9 hr · 1.7 mi awayFrom canyon rim to Washburn Hot Springs and a 10,219-foot summit.
ModerateRed Rock Points Trail0.6 mi · 45 min · 2.2 mi awaySteep stairs bring you close to Lower Falls.
ModerateArtist Point–Point Sublime Trail3 mi · 1.8 hr · 2.2 mi awayThe canyon views begin before you reach Point Sublime.
Picnic area · 1 mi awayDunraven Road Picnic AreaA useful lunch stop on the seasonal road over Dunraven Pass.
Gas station · 1.1 mi awayCanyon Gas and Service StationFuel, snacks and vehicle help for the Canyon drive.
Campground · 1.2 mi awayCanyon CampgroundA 273-site, pine-wooded campground near Canyon Village.
Visitor center · 1.2 mi awayCanyon Visitor Education CenterA room-size map makes Yellowstone's scale click before you head out.
Store · 1.3 mi awayCanyon Yellowstone Adventure StoreA seasonal stop for outdoor gear, fishing supplies and a yogurt bar.
Store · 1.3 mi awayCanyon General StoreA nostalgic burger counter and useful supply stop in Canyon Village.
Lodging · 1.3 mi awayCanyon Lodge and CabinsA handy in-park base near the Grand Canyon and both loops.
Sight · 1.9 mi awayWashburn Hot Springs OverlookA sweeping look across a 30-by-45-mile caldera.Parkwolf’s Yellowstone ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
