Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hebgen Dam NorthWestern Energy · 1915 concrete-core dam | Dam / hazard | 44.86379, -111.33578 | Outlet of the lake and the head of the Madison below it. The 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake cracked the dam and sent the lake surging over it; it holds, but keep well clear of the face and the spillway channel. |
| 2 | USGS 06038000 Hebgen Lake near West Yellowstone Lake elevation gauge at the dam | USGS gauge | 44.86361, -111.33556 | Reservoir surface elevation. Check it before a trip: Hebgen is drawn down through late summer and the shallow ramps at the head of the arms go out of service first. |
| 3 | Hebgen Dam Picnic Area Custer Gallatin NF · day use only | Park / conservation area | 44.84946, -111.31476 | Accessible fishing pier, picnic tables, vault toilet and interpretive panels just above the dam. No fee, open all year — the one developed day-use site on the north-west end. |
| 4 | Kirkwood Resort boat ramp Private resort ramp off Marina Loop | Access / boat ramp | 44.84528, -111.30869 | Concrete ramp at the head of the resort's marina basin, the closest launch to the dam. Reverse geocode puts it on Marina Loop inside Kirkwood; ask at the resort about launch fees and hours. |
| 5 | Kirkwood Resort & Marina 114500 Hebgen Lake Rd · pontoon and boat rental | Outfitter / canoe rental | 44.84203, -111.30202 | Marina, moorage, cabins and a small store on the north shore. Rents pontoons, fishing boats and paddle craft, and the water off the marina is one of the better-known winter ice-fishing areas. |
| 6 | Yellowstone Holiday boat ramp Private resort ramp off Holiday Drive | Access / boat ramp | 44.80301, -111.21686 | The resort's own launch, about 40 m from the campground entrance. Reverse geocode names Holiday Drive; treat it as a guest/fee ramp rather than a public one. |
| 7 | Yellowstone Holiday RV Campground & Marina 16990 Hebgen Lake Rd · private, full hook-up | Campsite | 44.80297, -111.21647 | RV and cabin resort with its own marina on the north shore, roughly midway between the dam and Rainbow Point. Open season only; reservations in July and August. |
| 8 | Corey Spring Named spring on the north shore | Spring | 44.80343, -111.17318 | Comes in within 80 m of the shoreline east of the Grayling Arm. A landmark on the bank rather than an access; there is no developed parking at it. |
| 9 | Rainbow Point Boat Launch Custer Gallatin NF · day use, sunrise to sunset | Access / boat ramp | 44.77967, -111.17489 | The north shore's public launch, on Rainbow Bay. Motorized and non-motorized, day use only; no water and no restroom at the ramp itself — use the campground's. |
| 10 | Rainbow Point Campground Custer Gallatin NF · 83 sites, 46 electric | Campsite | 44.77888, -111.17558 | The big campground on the lake, on Rainbow Bay with its own ramp and dock. Reservable, roughly mid-May to late September; loops B and C carry the electric sites. |
| 11 | Hebgen Lake Ranger District Office Custer Gallatin NF · West Yellowstone | Agency / conservation office | 44.66707, -111.09957 | The district office for every Forest Service campground, launch and day-use site on this lake. Call ahead for road, ramp and drawdown conditions: 406-823-6961. |
| 12 | Madison Arm Resort, Campground & Marina 5475 Madison Arm Rd · private | Campsite | 44.73613, -111.18730 | Campground, cabins and marina at the foot of the Madison Arm, reached off US 20 west of West Yellowstone. The only developed site on that arm. |
| 13 | Lonesomehurst Campground Custer Gallatin NF · 26 sites, ramp and dock | Campsite | 44.73441, -111.23172 | On the South Fork Arm among lodgepole pine, 4 miles north of US 20 on Denny Creek Road. Reservable; a boat ramp and dock sit inside the campground. |
| 14 | Lonesomehurst Boat Launch Custer Gallatin NF · day use only | Access / boat ramp | 44.73550, -111.23075 | The south shore's public launch, on the South Fork Arm. Motorized and non-motorized; no restrooms and no potable water at the ramp. |
| 15 | Cherry Creek Campground Custer Gallatin NF · 9 sites, first-come | Campsite | 44.75091, -111.26401 | Small first-come-first-served campground on Denny Creek Road above the South Fork Arm. No potable water and no boat ramp — lake fishing and swimming from the bank. |
| 16 | Fisherman's Point Custer Gallatin NF · fishing pier, day use | Access / boat ramp | 44.77228, -111.26793 | Designated accessible fishing pier on the west side, with an accessible toilet, table and trail. No camping and no ramp — this is the bank-angling stop on Denny Creek Road. |
| 17 | Spring Creek Campground Custer Gallatin NF · 15 sites, first-come | Campsite | 44.78442, -111.27547 | First-come campground 10 miles up Denny Creek Road, several sites right on the water. Vault toilets, no potable water, no ramp; open roughly late May to late September. |
Gauge: USGS 06038000 — Hebgen Lake near West Yellowstone, MT. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Arctic Grayling, Brown Trout, Mountain Whitefish, Rainbow Trout, Westslope Cutthroat Trout, Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout
Regulations: fwp.mt.gov/fish/regulations
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
West Yellowstone - the nearest town, with lodging, fly shops, guides and everything else.
Hebgen Dam - the gauge location at the lake outlet, with access to the lower end.
Madison Arm - a long shallow arm with a campground and ramp, prime gulper water.
Grayling Arm - the northern arm, weedy and productive on calm mornings.
Lonesome Hurst and Rainbow Point campgrounds - Forest Service access on the west and north shores.
Quake Lake - the earthquake-formed lake immediately downstream on the Madison.
Madison River below Hebgen - the celebrated tailwater reach running toward Ennis.
Spring: ice comes off late and the lake fishes slowly, with streamers along the drop-offs the reliable approach.
Summer: the gulper season, with calm mornings bringing cruising trout to Callibaetis and midges on the flats.
Fall: brown trout stage toward the tributaries and streamer fishing turns on as the water cools.
Winter: the lake freezes and sees modest ice fishing pressure compared with the