Madison River Canyon Earthquake Area

A visitor center with interpretive displays sits at the site of a massive 1959 earthquake and landslide.

On August 17, 1959 an earthquake in the Madison Canyon River Area, near West Yellowstone formed Quake Lake. The earthquake created a massive landslide of abut 80 million tons of rock, which stopped the flow of the Madison River in the Madison River Canyon gorge. The landslide caused 28 deaths, flooding and about $11 million in damage to the forests and highways in the area. The lake measures six miles long, one-third of a mile wide and 190 feet deep.

To preserve the effects of the earthquake on the geology and man-made structures, the Forest Service set aside 37,800 acres of the Gallatin National Forest as the Madison River Canyon Earthquake Area.

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General Information

The Earthquake Lake Visitor Center displays a Memorial Boulder from the earthquake with a plaque of the names of the 29 people who died and the events of the earthquake. The visitor center is open daily, 8:30am to 6:00pm, from Memorial Day through mid-September and has a fee. The visitor's center phone number is 406-682-7620 for more information.

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For more information:

Madison River Canyon Earthquake Area
Hebgen Lake District Ranger
PO Box 520
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
406-823-6961

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