Picnic area · Yellowstone National Park
Four picnic tables for a lakeshore meal break.
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
Lake Yellowstone Hotel and Lake Village“Up ahead is Lake Village, where Lake Yellowstone Hotel makes a good stop for the lake view and a look inside a historic building.”
Plays as you drive up to Lake Village 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
Lake Village Picnic Area is a small picnic site on Yellowstone Lake's shore, with four tables among the pines. Its draw is a straightforward meal break beside the water.
There is no restroom or potable water at this site. Bring drinking water and plan for a restroom stop before you arrive; NPS identifies Madison as Yellowstone's only picnic area with potable water.
Camp stoves and self-contained charcoal grills are allowed in Yellowstone picnic areas. Campfires are allowed only where fire grates are provided, and the Lake Village listing does not mention one. Keep food, trash, coolers and cooking tools in a bear-proof container whenever they are not in immediate use.
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
ModerateElephant Back Mountain Trail3.9 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.5 mi awayA steady forest climb to a broad Yellowstone Lake view.
ModerateHoward Eaton Trail: Fishing Bridge to Canyon13.5 mi · 7 hr · 1.9 mi awayA long river-side traverse opens into Hayden Valley meadows.
EasyNatural Bridge Trail2.5 mi · 1.5 hr · 2.1 mi awayA gentle forest walk to a rhyolite arch above Bridge Creek.
EasyPelican Creek Nature Trail0.8 mi · 45 min · 2.3 mi awayA short forest loop opens onto Pelican Creek and Yellowstone Lake.
EasyStorm Point Trail2.3 mi · 1.5 hr · 3.8 mi awayA short loop from Indian Pond to a wind-swept Yellowstone Lake point.
ChallengingPelican Cone Trail22.3 mi · 10 hr · 4.3 mi awayA long backcountry walk to a rare summit fire lookout.
ModeratePelican Valley Trail6.2 mi · 4 hr · 4.3 mi awayCross open meadows to a creekside overlook in prime grizzly country.
Lodging · 0.2 mi awayLake Yellowstone Hotel and CabinsA historic hotel with Yellowstone Lake views and a grand old lobby.
Store · 0.4 mi awayLake General StoreIce cream and general supplies in a 1919 octagonal lakeside shop.
Lodging · 0.6 mi awayLake Lodge CabinsA summer cabin base with a rocking-chair view of Yellowstone Lake.
Campground · 1.5 mi awayBridge Bay CampgroundA lake-country base where bison sometimes wander through camp.
Visitor center · 1.6 mi awayFishing Bridge Visitor Center and Trailside MuseumStep into a bird museum with Yellowstone Lake just beyond the windows.
Sight · 1.6 mi awayFishing BridgeA quick fish-watching stop at a bridge closed to fishing.
Picnic area · 1.7 mi awayGull Point Picnic AreaA shaded lunch stop with a short walk to the lake.
Gas station · 1.8 mi awayFishing Bridge Gas and Service StationA handy stop for fuel, repairs, towing and propane.Parkwolf’s Yellowstone ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
