Trout Lake (Wyoming)

Trout Lake
Trout Lake, June 2019
Location of Trout Lake in Wyoming, USA.
Location of Trout Lake in Wyoming, USA.
Trout Lake
Location of Trout Lake in Wyoming, USA.
Location of Trout Lake in Wyoming, USA.
Trout Lake
LocationYellowstone National Park, Park County, Wyoming, US
Coordinates44°54′02″N 110°07′50″W / 44.90056°N 110.13056°W / 44.90056; -110.13056 (Trout Lake)[1]
Basin countriesUnited States
Max. length250 yards (0.23 km)
Max. width250 yards (0.23 km)
Surface area12 acres (0.049 km2)
Surface elevation6,962 feet (2,122 m)

Trout Lake, formerly known as Fish Lake and Soda Butte Lake,[2] is a 12 acres (0.049 km2) popular backcountry lake for hikers and anglers in Yellowstone National Park. The lake is located approximately .33 miles (0.53 km) north of the Northeast Entrance Road near the confluence of Pebble Creek and Soda Butte Creek. The lake sits in a depression on a high bench above the Soda Butte Creek Canyon. A steep trail through a Douglas fir forest leads to the lake. The trailhead is located at: 44°53′57″N 110°7′21″W / 44.89917°N 110.12250°W / 44.89917; -110.12250 (Trout Lake trailhead).

Trout Lake is a popular area for viewing North American river otter.

Angling

Trout Lake is popular with anglers for its large (14-20") Yellowstone cutthroat trout and very large (20-30") rainbow trout and rainbow/cutthroat hybrids. The lake can be easily fished from the shoreline, but many anglers carry in float tubes to access the deeper parts of the lake. Using a float tube on Yellowstone lakes requires a park service boating permit.[3] The lake opens for fishing on Memorial Day weekend. The inlet stream to the lake is permanently closed to protect spawning cutthroat trout.[4][5] All cutthroat trout and hybrids caught in Trout Lake must be released.[6]

Images of Trout Lake
  • Trout Lake, 2009
    Trout Lake, 2009
  • Winter 2009
    Winter 2009
  • River Otter with Cutthroat Trout
    River Otter with Cutthroat Trout

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "Trout Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ Haines, Aubrey L. (1996). Yellowstone Place Names-Mirrors of History. Niwot, Colorado: University of Colorado Press. ISBN 0-87081-383-8.
  3. ^ Yellowstone National Park Boating Regulations
  4. ^ Parks, Richard (1998). Fishing Yellowstone National Park. Helena, MT: Falcon Press. ISBN 1-56044-625-0.
  5. ^ Mathews, Craig; Molinero, Clayton (1997). The Yellowstone Fly-Fishing Guide—An authoritative guide to the waters of Yellowstone National Park. Guilford, CT: The Lyons Press. ISBN 1-55821-545-X.
  6. ^ "2021 Yellowstone National Park Fishing Regulations" (PDF). nps.gov/yell. February 2022.


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