Earthquake Lake Visitor Center

The Earthquake Lake Visitor Center is open! This provides a panoramic view of the mountain that fell during an earthquake in 1959 and the resulting lake that was formed. Located in West Yellowstone, which is surrounded by some of the country’s top trout streams and some of the best float and deep water trout fishing on nearby Hebgen and Earthquake Lakes. This is a wonderful place to stop before headed out on the river to fish or simply enjoy the views with the family. Be sure to remember your camera!

Hebgen Lake 1959

The Facts: “Near midnight on an August night in 1959 a 7.5 magnitude earthquake, near the Madison River triggered a massive landslide forever changing the landscape.  Twenty-eight people lost their lives.  In 1967, the Forest Service’s Earthquake Lake Visitor Center opened its doors for the first season of operation.  Today, the center provides interpretive services for more than 50,000 visitors annually.  The natural attractions and the easily- seen effects of the strongest earthquake in the Rocky mountains has made this area one of the outstanding scenic and geological study areas in the west.”