Yellowstone National Park
Fishing Bridge

Fishing Bridge crowns the northern tip of Yellowstone Lake, the country's largest high-elevation lake at a little more than 7,700 feet.

Fishing Bridge gains its name from a 1902 bridge that once served as Yellowstone's most popular angling location. During Yellowstone's early history crowds of fishermen would inundate this small fishing hole, which was popular for cutthroat trout. Fishing is now limited to "catch and release" recreation.

A National Historic Landmark building that is now a prototype for many NPS visitor facilities across the country houses the area's visitor center and a bird museum.

Camping at Fishing Bridge is limited to RV-camping for hard-sided vehicles. Bear activity in the area of the lake makes tent-camping impractical.

Two hotels are located at nearby Lake Village, including the Lake Yellowstone Hotel, erected by Pacific Railroad in 1891. The ornate Colonial architecture, which was designed by architect Robert C. Reamer (known for his design of the inn at Old Faithful), is evidence of Yellowstone's increasing popularity through the years: In 1903 Reamer was hired to transform the original, rudimentary railroad structure into a destination hotel more befitting Yellowstone's early 20th century popularity. The hotel has received several subsequent upgrades and is still one of the park's more popular hotel destinations.

The area surrounding Fishing Bridge is, like many parts of Yellowstone, a jumble of historic and natural wonders. It also is the site of one of Yellowstone's most recent volcanic eruptions some 600,000 years ago.

There are a number of trails and natural attractions in the area: Natural Bridge, an outcropping of rhyolite lava that was carved by erosion thousands of years ago can be reached by trail from Bridge Bay. A list of other trails and geologic sites is available at the Fishing Bridge visitor center.

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