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Quake Lake

30 May

On August 17, 1959, an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale struck southwestern Montana. The earthquake caused an 80 ton landslide to travel 100 miles per hour down Sheep Mountain. It created 20 feet high fault scrapes, the displacement on land by movement along a fault. Nearby geysers in Yellowstone National Park erupted and the water in the hot springs became muddy.

The water in Hebgen Lake became tumultuous and created a seiche, which is a wave effect caused by wind and water. The landslide and seiche caused Hebgen Dam to crack and erode and interrupted the flow of Madison River. This interruption caused the water to spread upstream and create what is now known as Quake Lake.

Aftershocks persisted in the area for several months, some as strong as 6.5 on the Richter scale. Many homes and cabins were destroyed and 28 people lost their life to this great natural disaster. The damages to roads and buildings totaled $11 million. This earthquake was the largest to ever strike Montana in known history and is also one of the worst known in all America.

Now, guests can visit Quake Lake for themselves to learn more about the earthquake. There are many exhibits with a wealth of information about earthquakes and the effects it had on this area. Some of the most fascinating pieces are a working seismograph and pictures from shortly after the earthquake. The exhibit also features recollections from survivors.

Even today, the effects of this earthquake can easily be seen. Huge boulders that were carried by the landslide remain. One of these boulders has a plaque honoring the 28 people who died in this tragedy. To see even more, take a drive down Highway 287. This road travels by a ghost village that was submerged by flooding after the earthquake and a refugee point. You can also see the epicenter of the earthquake from this highway.

But a visit to Quake Lake does not have to be all about the earthquake, there are also lots of fun recreational activities in the area today. Rent a boat or canoe to ride around Quake Lake and enjoy the beauty created by tragedy. If you like to fish, there are lots of German trout and Rainbow trout stocked in the 190 foot deep, 6 mile long Quake Lake. There are also many hiking trails and overlooks where you can enjoy nature. And of course there is lots of wildlife in the area that you might spot. Nearby are campsites where you can pitch your tent and relax after a long day exploring Quake Lake.

You can also go to Hebgen Lake just a short distance away to see where earthquake started. And while you’re in the area, don’t forget to check out Yellowstone National Park, Gallatin National Forest, Grand Teton National Park, and all of the other great tourist destinations in the area.

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Hebgen Lake Boating & Fishing

16 Mar

One of the most popular boating and fishing lakes in Montana, Hebgen Lake offers spectacular scenery, great fishing, boating, and camping opportunities. The access to Hebgen Lakeside is excellent. Located just north of the Idaho border in the Beaverhead National Forest and off MT Highway 87 and Highway 287 leading to Ennis, Hedgen Lake is about 15 minutes drive north of the city of West Yellowstone and just 3 miles east of Yellowstone National Park. Additionally, several other roads lead to the south side of the Hebgen Lakeside, where you can find numerous campgrounds.

This man-made lake is more than 15 miles long and measures up to four miles at its widest point. With such a great location, scenery and an abundancy of water activities, Hedgen Lake provides a perfect vacation spot not far from Yellowstone National Park. Its nearby spots include the earthquake area visitor center and beaver creek recreational area.

Activities

With the national forest next to it and the surrounding breathtaking mountain scenes, Hebgen Lakeside offers some of the best and unforgettable boating and fishing opportunities in the state of Montana. Be sure to rent or bring your canoe, kayak, or sail, motor, or fishing boat and enjoy your day on the crystal pure water. Several Hebgen Lake Marinas have docks and great boating and fishing supplies that can be either purchased or rented.

What makes Hedgen Lake even more attractive is that there are fun activities not only in the summer, but throughout the whole year, even winter, when among other activities, you can plunge yourself into ice fishing.

Boating at Hebgen Lake

Being over 4 miles across at the widest point, Hebgen Lake is a large lake, which makes boating a real pleasure and an unforgetable experience. You can choose to sail under the sun or if it’s not too windy, water ski or paddle around in a canoe or kayak. Crystal pure water, combined with scenic environment and convenient location near West Yellowstone, Montana, makes Hebgen Lakeside a popular destination for anyone.

The best time for water activities at Hebgen Lake is from July to late September. And if you are going out for fishing, consider using any other boat than float tubes. Because of its location on a high plateau, Hebgen Lake Montana can be rather windy at times, and float tubes become very dangerous in the unprotected sections of the lake. However, with such a great choice and boating options (canoe, inflatable kayak, sailers, pontoon boats, or motorboats), there’s no real reason why a little wind should stop you from goint out and boating.

Fishing at Hebgen Lake

Hebgen Lake arguably offers the best fishing opportunities in the state of Montana. With its healthy population of big browns, rainbows, and cutthroats, the lake makes your fishing experience unforgetable. Some people say that Hebgen Lake Montana is the best lake for fishing in all of North America. Indeed, you will get successful results and a great catch no matter what fishing supplies you use, be it dry or wet flies. Hebgen Lake is open throughout all seasons, and in the winter you can do some ice fishing.

The trout are found in abundance in Hebgen Lake and mostly in a sporting size. This is a good reason explaining the popularity of this West Yellowstone fishing location. The average brown trout ranges from 16 to 18 inches and rainbow trout runs between 14 and 16 inches, although lucky anglers can occasionally catch a 20-incher.

Montana Hebgen Lake offers two distinctive hatches. From late spring to early summer, the lake has great hatches of Tricos, while late in July and early August, you can find plenty of chironomids. All this may provide excellent fishing unless the winds are strong. With such a prolific midge hatch, the trout can be found on top in the different shallow bays and along the shoreline. The second hatch of Trico, Callibaetis mayflies and Caddisfly regularly occur in the middle-end of August, thus the trout often can be seen feeding on surface flies, which provides an oustanding opportunity to catch large-sized fish right from the shoreline. Anglers can also use standard fly patterns such as the Parachute Adams to catch the trout around the inlets to the lake and in its various bays. During the summer, the Madison arm of Hebgen Lake, in particular, is an ideal place to dry fish.

If you are new to fishing at Hebgen Lakeside, it will be a good idea to either follow the crowds or get a guide to find the best fishing spots. As Hebgen Lake Montana is such a big lake, it is very easy to miss the best fishing spot and come home with nothing, but frustration.

In overall, there’s no other such lake in the world as Hebgen Lake, which is arguably the finest fishing lake in the world!

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