Know the picnic rules
Park rules allow camp stoves and self-contained charcoal grills at picnic areas. Campfires are allowed only where a fire grate is provided, and overnight camping is not permitted.
Overview
About West Thumb Picnic Area
Why stop
- Seven picnic tables make an easy meal stop near the geyser basin.
Heads up
- Bring your own drinking water.
Map
Where it is
Loading the Yellowstone map
Full mapPlan your stop
Before you go
Know the picnic rules
5 active Yellowstone alerts
- ClosureBiscuit Basin closed after hydrothermal explosionBiscuit Basin’s parking lot, boardwalk, and Firehole River are closed to all travel.Official details
- ClosureMost Yellowstone roads close to regular vehicles November 1Most Yellowstone roads and the West, South, and East entrances are scheduled to close to regular vehicles November 1, 2026, as the park prepares for winter operations.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Yellowstone Tour Guide
Hear Yellowstone as you drive it.
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
West Thumb Geyser Basin0:00 / 0:32
“You're nearing West Thumb Geyser Basin, where the boardwalk puts hot springs beside the open water of Yellowstone Lake.”
Plays as you drive up to West Thumb Picnic Area in the Parkwolf Yellowstone Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
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- 243 audio storiesacross Yellowstone’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Wolf, Grizzly Bear, Bison, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 167 trails, 192 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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
More about West Thumb Picnic Area
A handy meal stopWest Thumb Picnic Area is a developed picnic spot beside West Thumb Geyser Basin.
West Thumb Picnic Area is a developed picnic spot beside West Thumb Geyser Basin. It has seven picnic tables and a vault toilet, making it a practical place to sit and eat while visiting this part of Yellowstone. Treat it as a meal break rather than a separate sightseeing stop.
Bring drinking waterTwo of the seven tables are accessible, and the vault toilet is wheelchair accessible.
Two of the seven tables are accessible, and the vault toilet is wheelchair accessible. Bring your own drinking water: Yellowstone identifies Madison as its only picnic area with potable water.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Yellowstone
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.
