Picnic area · Yellowstone National Park
A handy picnic break beside the Wapiti 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
Chittenden Bridge and South Rim Trail“You’re approaching Chittenden Bridge Picnic Area, a useful lunch stop beside Wapiti Lake Trailhead.”
Plays as you drive up to Chittenden Bridge 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
Chittenden Bridge Picnic Area is a small, developed picnic site along South Rim Drive in Yellowstone's Canyon area. Six picnic tables and a vault toilet make it a useful place to stop for a meal, and the Wapiti Lake Trailhead is alongside it. Keep expectations simple: this is a break in the drive and a trail access point, not a major attraction of its own.
Pack the food you want and bring drinking water. Madison is the only Yellowstone picnic area with potable water, so don't count on filling up here. The tables make this a good spot for a packed meal before or after a walk.
When food, trash, coolers or cooking gear aren't in immediate use, put them in a bear-proof container. Camp stoves and self-contained charcoal grills may be used at picnic areas; campfires are allowed only where there's a fire grate, and none is listed for this site. Overnight camping isn't allowed in picnic areas.
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
ModerateSour Creek Trail5.2 mi · 2.5 hr · At the trailheadMeadows, steam vents and creek crossings in Sour Creek country
ModerateWrangler Lake Trail8 mi · 4 hr · At the trailheadCreek crossings lead through Hayden Valley to a backcountry lake.
ChallengingWapiti Lake Trail30.6 mi · 13 hr · At the trailheadA 30.6-mile backcountry round trip to camps near Wapiti Lake.
ModerateSouth Rim Trail3.6 mi · 2 hr · 0.1 mi awayUpper and Lower Falls, with canyon views between them
ModerateNorth Rim Trail7 mi · 4 hr · 0.1 mi awayConnect the North Rim's waterfalls and canyon overlooks on foot.
EasyBrink of the Upper Falls Trail0.3 mi · 24 min · 0.5 mi awayA short, stair-stepped walk to Yellowstone's 109-foot Upper Falls.
EasyClear Lake Trail1.4 mi · 1 hr · 0.6 mi awayA gentle short walk to a bubbling, spring-fed lake.ModerateClear Lake–Ribbon Lake Loop Trail6.1 mi · 3.5 hr · 0.6 mi awayThermal ground, two lakes, and a canyon rim return.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayBrink of the Upper FallsSee the river spill over a 109-foot fall up close.
Sight · 0.5 mi awayUpper Falls ViewpointsSouth Rim stop for a close look at 109-foot Upper Falls.
Picnic area · 0.6 mi awayOtter Creek Picnic AreaA riverside meal stop; bring your own food and water.
Sight · 0.8 mi awayBrink of the Lower FallsGet close enough to feel the Lower Falls' roar.
Sight · 1 mi awayRed Rock PointA close Lower Falls view after a steep climb back out.
Sight · 1.1 mi awayLookout PointThe Lower Falls fills the canyon from this north-rim perch.
Sight · 1.3 mi awayGrand ViewA broad canyon view, with the river and Lower Falls far below.
Sight · 1.4 mi awayArtist PointFrom the rim, the 308-foot Lower Falls anchors the view.Parkwolf’s Yellowstone ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
