Earthquake Lake, MT

A beautiful and interesting stop just west of Yellowstone. Earthquake Lake was formed on August 17, 1959 when a magnitude 7.4 earthquake shook the area. The quake triggered a landslide that blocked the calm and meandering Madison River about 15 miles below the Hebgen Dam. The lake filled quickly washing away campsites and cabin resorts. There are ghost trees in the water showing where the forest used to edge the river. It's a beautiful spot with an amazing and very modern history. The visitor center had great exhibits and we even encountered a man who came through just after the quake in 1959. We highly recommend this stop if you are coming to Yellowstone.

A very windy day! The bare hillside is the one that slid across the river.

Looking towards the Hebgen Dam and Yellowstone.

Piles of the rock that slid across the narrow valley. There are chunks of asphalt mixed in from the road the slide took with it.

This rock came across the valley too. It is a memorial for the 28 people who died.

The Madison River winding through the spillway that was dug to release some of the water. Before the spillway Earthquake Lake was rising 9 feet per day and the Hebgen Dam was in danger of being breached. 

Ghost trees in the lake.

We walked along an old road and found this tree blocking the way.

Refuge Point where survivors gathered on high ground. Ghost cabins in the background were washed off their foundations then blown upriver and settled here.