Picnicking

A group of visitors eating at a picnic table
Picnicking at Mammoth Hot Springs in the historic Fort Yellowstone district.

NPS / Neal Herbert

 

Planning on a picnic? Yellowstone offers a number of picnic areas throughout the park. Each picnic area has tables and most have vault toilets (no running water). Madison is the only picnic area that offers potable water. As you prepare and enjoy your meal, help protect the park, wildlife, and yourself:

  • Never feed wild animals, including birds and squirrels
    Animals that become dependent on human food may become aggressive toward people and have to be killed.
  • Store all food when not in use
    Keep all food, garbage, or smelly items in your vehicle so that animals cannot access them. Cooler in the back of pickup trucks are not secure enough.
  • Use stoves and fire properly
    Camp stoves and self-contained charcoal grills may be used to prepare food in picnic areas. Campfires are allowed only in picnic areas with fire grates.
  • Do not camp in picnic areas
    Overnight camping is not allowed in picnic areas.
 
 

Picnic Area Details

Albright: 4 tables, accessible toilet nearby.
Apollinaris Spring: 6 tables, toilet.
Arch Park: 5 tables, 1 fire grate, accessible toilet nearby.
Beaver Lake: 9 tables, toilet.
Bridge Bay: 23 tables (one accessible), 3 fire grates, accessible toilet.
Buffalo Paddock: 5 tables, accessible toilet.
Caldera Rim: 3 tables, accessible toilet.
Cascade: 6 tables, accessible toilet
Cascade Lake: 16 tables (one accessible), 5 fire grates, accessible toilet.
Cave Falls: 4 tables, accessible toilet.
Chittenden Bridge/Wapiti Lake: 6 tables, toilet.
DeLacy Creek: 10 tables, toilet.
Dunraven Road: 12 tables, toilet.
Eleanor Lake: 2 tables, toilet.
East Divide: 14 tables, toilet.
East Lot: 13 tables (one accessible), toilet.
Firehole River: 12 tables, accessible toilet.
Fisherman's Access (Angler's Bluff): 5 tables, accessible toilet.
Fishing Bridge: 11 tables, toilet nearby.
Gibbon Falls: 7 tables, accessible toilet.
Gibbon Meadows: 10 tables, accessible toilet.
Gull Point: 21 tables, toilet.
Grant Village: 16 tables (one accessible), 11 fire grates, accessible toilet.
Hard Road to Travel: 5 tables, accessible toilet.
Iron Spring: 5 tables, accessible toilet.
Lake Village: 4 tables, no toilet.
Lava Creek: 5 tables, accessible toilet.
LeHardys Rapids: 7 tables, toilet.
Lewis Lake: 9 tables, toilet.
Madison River: 9 tables, toilet.
Madison Junction: 14 tables (1 accessible), accessible toilets, 3 fire grates.
Mammoth: 9 tables, accessible toilet nearby.
Nez Perce: 13 tables, 3 fire grates, accessible toilet.
Nez Perce Ford: 20 tables, toilet.
Norris Meadows: 9 tables, 2 fire grates (one accessible), toilet.
Otter Creek: 8 tables (two accessible), no toilet.
Pumice Point: 2 tables, no toilet.
Sand Point: 16 tables, toilet.
Sedge Bay: 3 tables, toilet.
Sheepeater Cliff: 5 tables (one accessible), toilet.
Snake River: 8 tables, 6 fire grates, accessible toilet.
Soda Butte: 7 tables (one accessible), accessible toilet.
Spring Creek: 9 tables, 2 fire grates, toilet.
Spruce-Fir Exhibit: 3 tables, accessible toilet.
Steamboat Point: 4 tables, toilet.
Sylvan Lake: 8 tables, toilet.
Tuff Cliff: 3 tables (1 accessible), accessible toilet.
Virginia Cascade: 10 tables, accessible toilet.
Warm Creek: 7 tables, accessible toilet.
West Thumb: 7 tables (two accessible), accessible toilet.
Whiskey Flat: 18 tables (one accessible), 4 fire grates, accessible toilet.
Yellowstone River: 8 tables, toilet. CLOSED

 
People sitting around tables in a large dining hall and eating.
Eat in a Restaurant

Learn about food options in the park, from snack shops to fine dining.

An old-fashioned yellow and black bus is parked in front of a tall, yellow inn with white columns.
Eating & Sleeping

Learn about places to stay and eat in the park.

Girl roasting marshmallow over an open fire.
Camp in a Campground

Plan a night in one of twelve park campgrounds.

A large, A-frame-style log lodge rises above surrounding conifer trees.
Stay in a Lodge

Pick a lodge that's right for you and make a reservation early!

Hikers crossing a creek via a cable suspension bridge.
Camp in the Backcountry

Enjoy the solitude of more than 300 backcountry campsites.

Last updated: September 20, 2023

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Contact Info

Mailing Address:

PO Box 168
Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190-0168

Phone:

307-344-7381

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