It is also a popular place for anglers to target the healthy populations of trout, with many of them casting to cruising trout among the skeletons of fir and pine trees above the submerged highway bed. Nevertheless, it is a popular spot for a family vacation, with canoeing, hiking, biking, and horseback riding nearby. Quake Lake itself is only five miles long and one-third of a mile wide.ĭepth-wise the lake is somewhere between 120 and 190 feet, and the dead, bleached trees which were at one point growing from the mountainside still protrude from the surface of the lake. New camping areas were developed along the northern shoreline, along with a network of trails through the area leading to other activities or points of interest. Highway 287 was rebuilt above the high water line, and a boat ramp was created where the old pavement ran down to the water. The facility was constructed in 1967 and is operated by the National Forest Service.Īfter the earthquake and with most of the newly-formed lake lying within the Gallatin National Forest, almost 40,000 acres were designated by the US Forest Service as the Madison River Canyon Earthquake Area Reserve.Īlong with the Visitors’ Center, interpretives were installed to explain what had occurred and the natural forces behind it. If you are interested in finding out more details about the events of the past earthquake and the seismic activity of the region, drop by the Earthquake Lake Visitor Center. The earthquake that formed the lake measured 7.3 on the Richter scale and created something like an 80-million ton landslide that would have traveled down the side of the mountain at speeds not much less than 100 miles per hour. Quake Lake is just 24 miles from the West Entrance of Yellowstone National Park, and many find it an ideal spot for some relaxation under the firs and aspens out-of-reach of the Yellowstone National Park crowds.Īs you drive from Ennis to West Yellowstone, the after-effects of the quake are most obvious. The 1959 quake at Hebgen Lake, on the Madison River near Ennis, turned out to be Montana’s largest ever recorded earthquake, and it was devastating enough to cause more than 28 deaths. You will be able to see some of the remaining effects of the massive earthquake and landslide that hit the area and caused the formation of the lake as you drive towards it along this road.
It is mostly within the Gallatin National Forest on US Highway 287, which follows the lake. Quake Lake is located in Southwest Montana, about 30 miles northwest of West Yellowstone.
0 kommentar(er)
