Sight · Yellowstone National Park
A quick fish-watching stop at a bridge closed to fishing.
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
Fishing Bridge and Trailside Museum“You're nearing the Fishing Bridge Visitor Center and Trailside Museum, a seasonal stop for bird exhibits and a short walk to Yellowstone Lake. I'd allow half an hour to enjoy both.”
Plays as you drive up to Fishing Bridge 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
Fishing Bridge is the historic timber road bridge over the Yellowstone River, where Yellowstone Lake drains north. It makes a quick stop to look over the water and out toward the lake. Fishing has been prohibited from the bridge since 1973, so come to watch for fish, not to cast a line.
The first bridge, built in 1902, was a rough-hewn corduroy-log crossing on a slightly different alignment. The current bridge dates to 1937. Cutthroat trout spawned here, making it a popular fishing spot until fishing pressure helped drive down their numbers and the bridge was closed to angling.
Yellowstone Lake is home to North America’s largest population of Yellowstone cutthroat trout, and the park says you can also see longnose suckers from the bridge. Fish do not show themselves every time, but this is still a good place to pause over the lake’s outlet and river. For a photo, include the timber railing and water below; that shows the bridge as a crossing rather than just a strip of road.
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
ModerateHoward Eaton Trail: Fishing Bridge to Canyon13.5 mi · 7 hr · 0.4 mi awayA long river-side traverse opens into Hayden Valley meadows.
EasyPelican Creek Nature Trail0.8 mi · 45 min · 1.1 mi awayA short forest loop opens onto Pelican Creek and Yellowstone Lake.
ModerateElephant Back Mountain Trail3.9 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.2 mi awayA steady forest climb to a broad Yellowstone Lake view.
EasyStorm Point Trail2.3 mi · 1.5 hr · 2.7 mi awayA short loop from Indian Pond to a wind-swept Yellowstone Lake point.
ChallengingPelican Cone Trail22.3 mi · 10 hr · 3.2 mi awayA long backcountry walk to a rare summit fire lookout.
ModeratePelican Valley Trail6.2 mi · 4 hr · 3.2 mi awayCross open meadows to a creekside overlook in prime grizzly country.
EasyNatural Bridge Trail2.5 mi · 1.5 hr · 3.7 mi awayA gentle forest walk to a rhyolite arch above Bridge Creek.
EasyMud Volcano Trail0.6 mi · 1.5 hr · 4.7 mi awayA compact boardwalk loop through bubbling Yellowstone mudpots.
Gas station · 0.3 mi awayFishing Bridge Gas and Service StationA handy stop for fuel, repairs, towing and propane.
Visitor center · 0.3 mi awayFishing Bridge Visitor Center and Trailside MuseumStep into a bird museum with Yellowstone Lake just beyond the windows.
Store · 0.4 mi awayFishing Bridge General StoreGroceries, ice cream and a grill make this a useful park stop.
Campground · 0.7 mi awayFishing Bridge RV ParkYellowstone’s only full-hookup campground; tents aren’t allowed.
Lodging · 1 mi awayLake Lodge CabinsA summer cabin base with a rocking-chair view of Yellowstone Lake.
Store · 1.3 mi awayLake General StoreIce cream and general supplies in a 1919 octagonal lakeside shop.
Lodging · 1.5 mi awayLake Yellowstone Hotel and CabinsA historic hotel with Yellowstone Lake views and a grand old lobby.
Picnic area · 1.6 mi awayLake Village Picnic AreaFour picnic tables for a lakeshore meal break.Parkwolf’s Yellowstone ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
