Picnic area · Yellowstone National Park
A useful lunch stop on the seasonal road over Dunraven Pass.
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 area
The Frog That Freezes“A sound like a thumb running over a comb can come from a very small frog. Boreal chorus frogs call from Yellowstone's breeding ponds in spring and early summer. Their winter survival is even stranger.”
Plays on the road 0.3 mi from Dunraven Road 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
Dunraven Road Picnic Area is a developed picnic stop at Dunraven Pass, on the high-elevation road between Canyon Village and Tower Fall. It has 12 picnic tables and one vault toilet, so this is a place to sit down for a meal, not just a quick pullout. Bring your own food; there is no food service listed here.
Only Madison picnic area offers potable water, so don't plan to refill here. Dunraven Pass is a seasonal high-elevation road; this stop works as part of the drive while the pass is open.
The pass sits in Absaroka volcanic country, where richer soils support a mix of forest and meadow. Wetlands along the road can be full of wildflowers, and bighorn sheep are often seen on Mount Washburn's nearby slopes. Those are pass-area sights, not a promise from the picnic tables.
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 · 1.3 mi awayMeadows and a lake lead to a fire lookout above the valley.
EasyCascade Lake Trail4.4 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.3 mi awayFollow open meadows to a lake edged with lily pads.
ChallengingDunraven Pass–Mount Washburn Trail7 mi · 4.5 hr · 1.8 mi awayA high climb to a working lookout and wide Yellowstone views.
ChallengingSeven Mile Hole Trail10 mi · 6.5 hr · 2.3 mi awaySilver Cord Cascade first, then the steep drop to the river.
ChallengingMount Washburn Spur Trail16.2 mi · 9 hr · 2.3 mi awayFrom canyon rim to Washburn Hot Springs and a 10,219-foot summit.
EasyCascade Creek Trail3.4 mi · 2 hr · 2.5 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 · 2.5 mi awayA long one-way traverse past four lakes, meadow, and marsh.
ModerateArtist Point–Point Sublime Trail3 mi · 1.8 hr · 3 mi awayThe canyon views begin before you reach Point Sublime.
Sight · 0.9 mi awayWashburn Hot Springs OverlookA sweeping look across a 30-by-45-mile caldera.
Picnic area · 1 mi awayCascade Lake Picnic AreaA picnic-table stop beside the Cascade Lake trailhead.
Sight · 1.8 mi awayDunraven PassHigh-elevation wildflowers, wide views, and a Mount Washburn hike.
Campground · 2 mi awayCanyon CampgroundA 273-site, pine-wooded campground near Canyon Village.
Gas station · 2.1 mi awayCanyon Gas and Service StationFuel, snacks and vehicle help for the Canyon drive.
Visitor center · 2.2 mi awayCanyon Visitor Education CenterA room-size map makes Yellowstone's scale click before you head out.
Lodging · 2.2 mi awayCanyon Lodge and CabinsA handy in-park base near the Grand Canyon and both loops.
Store · 2.2 mi awayCanyon Yellowstone Adventure StoreA seasonal stop for outdoor gear, fishing supplies and a yogurt bar.Parkwolf’s Yellowstone ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
