Yellowstone National Park · Wyoming
Largest backcountry lake.
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70% of the openings our scanner caught on Shoshone Lake were gone within 10 minutes.
As of September 2026, Shoshone Lake in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming requires a permit issued via reservation. Shoshone Lake is a high-demand permit, rating 7/10 on PermitSnag's demand index. Cancelled Shoshone Lake permits are re-released on the booking system, and PermitSnag alerts you the moment one opens. The Shoshone Lake lottery opens March 1, 2026 and closes March 20, 2026, with results announced March 25, 2026: winners get a randomized booking time between April 1 and 25.
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More on Shoshone Lake: Live availability activityWhen Shoshone Lake permits open upDo I need a Shoshone Lake Backcountry permit?
Shoshone Lake permit fee: $5 per person per night plus a $10 reservation fee. The early access lottery application costs a separate, non-refundable $10.
The only river reach in Yellowstone open to boating, non-motorized only. Swift and cold, and the last mile means pulling the boat up the stream.
The park's second largest lake, 8,050 acres and 205 feet at its deepest. No motorboats. Cross only at the narrows.
On the lake's southwest side, reached only by hiking or by boat. More than 80 geysers in an area 1,600 by 800 feet. Closed to stock year-round.
The geyser-basin access site, and the only one on the lake capped at four people. The trail from it to the basin is difficult to navigate with knee-deep mud.
Paddle up the Lewis River Channel (dragging the boat the last mile) to a lake with no road to it, no motors on it, and eighty geysers on its far shore.
Shoshone Lake sits at the head of the Lewis River southwest of West Thumb, with no road to it. The park describes it as Yellowstone's second largest lake, 8,050 acres in area and 205 feet at its maximum depth, and reports that the US Fish and Wildlife Service believes it may be the largest lake in the lower 48 states that cannot be reached by road.
Recreation.gov runs 24 designated campsites around the lake in its Shoshone Lake district. Most take 8 people for up to 3 nights, among them Windy Point (8R1), Bluff Top (8R2), Cove (8R3), Outlet Hiker (8S0), Outlet Boat (8S1) and DeLacy Creek (8S2). South Narrow Point (8Q1) is limited to 2 nights, Shoshone Meadows (8G1) to a single night, and Basin Beach (8T1) is capped at four people. Sites are labelled by travel method: some are backpacker-only, some non-motorized boat only, some both. None allow campfires, all have a pit toilet, and each requires a food pole with a minimum of 30 feet of rope.
Boating rules here are the strictest in the park in one direction and the most permissive in another. No motorboats are allowed on the lake (motorized boats are only permitted on Lewis and Yellowstone lakes), but the Lewis River Channel between Lewis Lake and Shoshone Lake is the single exception to Yellowstone's blanket closure of rivers to boating, open to non-motorized watercraft only. Before June 10, boat-accessible campsites on Shoshone Lake are available by walk-up permit only. Lewis and Shoshone Lake are typically ice free in early June.
Everything else follows the park-wide backcountry permit: $5 per person per night plus a $10 reservation fee, a March early access lottery ($10 non-refundable to apply), and in-person permit pickup at a backcountry office up to two days before your trip. There is no Bear Management Area covering Shoshone Lake, but the food-storage and bear-spray rules apply exactly as everywhere else.
Two ways in. Paddlers cross Lewis Lake and go up the Lewis River Channel, which the park describes as swift and cold, with the last mile requiring boaters to pull their boats up the stream. This is the only river reach in Yellowstone open to boating at all, and non-motorized only. As of the park's August 4, 2026 note, the channel was passable via canoe but shallow, with boats bumping rocks. Hikers come in from DeLacy Creek, where the trail meets the lake at an outlet crossing about a foot and a half deep. The park recommends river-crossing shoes.
On the water, the park's rule is to cross Shoshone Lake only at the narrows.
Recreation.gov names Shoshone Lake as one of four high-demand areas in Yellowstone worth entering the lottery for, and the reason is simple: it is the park's second largest lake and the US Fish and Wildlife Service believes it may be the largest lake in the lower 48 states that cannot be reached by road. That is a narrower claim than the one you will see repeated elsewhere, and it is the one the Park Service actually publishes.
Wind and water. The park warns that winds from the southwest often build through the morning and afternoon on Lewis and Shoshone lakes and can be formidable, which is why paddlers here start at dawn. On the far shore, the Shoshone Geyser Basin, reachable only by hiking or by boat, holds one of the highest concentrations of geysers in the world.
Best for: Paddlers who can handle a cold, wind-exposed lake crossing, and backpackers happy to walk in and share the shore with them.
Recommended experience: Flatwater paddling with wind judgement, or bear-country backpacking. The exposure rating covers cold water, thermal ground at the geyser basin, and how far you are from help.
Not recommended for: Inexperienced paddlers. Wind on Shoshone Lake is the real hazard here, and the nearest road is hours away by boat.
Trailhead information
NPS trailhead 7K2, Grant Area. A 5.8-mile there-and-back through forest edge and open meadows to the shore of Yellowstone's largest backcountry lake. NPS says to look for sandhill cranes, moose and water birds.
NPS lists two amenities, an information kiosk or bulletin board and the trailhead. No toilet.
Trailhead information
NPS trailhead 8K1. A 10.8-mile there-and-back through lodgepole pine to the Lewis River Channel and on to Shoshone Lake.
About 5 miles (8 km) south of the Grant Village intersection, just north of Lewis Lake on the west side of the road.
NPS lists a vault or composting toilet here, and marks the trailhead with a caution that grizzly bears frequent the area.
Trailhead information
The paddling start for the Lewis Channel route into Shoshone Lake.
Every watercraft, including float tubes and paddle boards, needs a Yellowstone boat permit and an AIS inspection before launching. Recreation.gov says inspections and permits are available 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM daily at Bridge Bay, Grant Village and Lewis Lake, and that the boating season runs from the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend through October 31.
Mid-June through September. Lewis and Shoshone Lake are typically ice free in early June, and boat-accessible campsites are walk-up only before June 10. Late August and September give the calmest mornings on the water and the fewest mosquitoes. The park's August 4, 2026 note has the channel passable by canoe but shallow enough to bump rocks.
Trailhead (5,000 ft)
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First light on the lake before the wind gets up, with steam rising off the geyser basin across the water.
Cold, still mornings. The basin smokes hardest when the air is near freezing and the lake is flat.
There is very little crowd. The busiest thing here is the channel on a July weekend, and it thins the moment you are on the lake.
Emergency contacts, ranger station locations, and satellite communicator tips for Shoshone Lake.
Bear canister requirements, approved container lists, and rental locations for this permit.
Gear Checklist: Required and recommended gear for Shoshone Lake · Shuttle Services: Trailhead transportation options · Guide Services: Experienced wilderness guides
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Yes. A Yellowstone backcountry permit is required year-round for all overnight stays and names your specific campsite and dates. It costs $5 per person per night plus a $10 reservation fee, and you collect it in person at a backcountry office up to two days before your trip.
Not as flatly as it is usually stated. The park's own page says the US Fish and Wildlife Service believes Shoshone Lake may be the largest lake in the lower 48 states that cannot be reached by road. That is an attributed belief about road access, not a ranked claim about backcountry lakes. What the park does state directly is that it is Yellowstone's second largest lake, 8,050 acres and 205 feet deep at its maximum.
Yes, and it is the classic approach. The Lewis River Channel between Lewis Lake and Shoshone Lake is the only river reach in Yellowstone open to boating, and it is non-motorized only. The park calls it swift and cold and says the last mile requires boaters to pull their boats up the stream. No motorboats are allowed on Shoshone Lake itself.
No. The park permits motorized boats only on Lewis and Yellowstone lakes. Canoes, kayaks, paddleboards and other non-motorized boats are permitted on all park lakes except Sylvan Lake, Eleanor Lake, Twin Lakes and Beach Springs Lagoon.
Most of the lake's sites take up to 8 people. Basin Beach (8T1) is the exception at four. Stay limits vary too: most are 3 nights, South Narrow Point (8Q1) is 2, and Shoshone Meadows (8G1) is 1.
Yes. It is reached only by hiking or by boat, and holds more than 80 geysers in an area about 1,600 by 800 feet. The trail from campsite 8T1 is difficult to navigate with areas of knee-deep mud, so carry proper footwear, a map and a compass. Off-trail travel in thermal areas is prohibited, and the basin is closed to stock year-round.
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The park-wide permit covering all 293 designated backcountry campsites.
Same fees and same lottery, with far more sites to choose from once the Shoshone Lake district fills.
The park's southwest corner, with the highest concentration of waterfalls in Yellowstone.
Also on Recreation.gov's high-demand list. Trips before July 10 are not recommended because of flooding in Bechler Meadows.
Zone-based mountain camping an hour south, with roughly two thirds of permits held for walk-ups.
Much better last-minute odds and bigger mountains, but a bear canister is mandatory and there is no paddling equivalent.
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