Hebgen Lake

Hebgen Lake is a reservoir created by the Hebgen Dam, located in Gallatin County in southwest Montana. It is well known for the 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake (magnitude 7.1 to 7.5) which occurred nearby on August 17, 1959, forming Quake Lake, which is located immediately downstream.^[4]

Hebgen Lake
Hebgen Lake
Hebgen Lake Location in Montana
Location	Gallatin County, Montana, United States
Coordinates	44°46′56″N 111°14′01″W[1]
Type	Reservoir
Primary inflows	Madison River
Primary outflows	Madison River
Catchment area	905 square miles (2,340 km2)
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	15 miles (24 km)
Max. width	4 miles (6.4 km)
Surface area	12,563 acres (5,084 ha)[2]
Max. depth	70 feet (21 m)[2]
Water volume	386,200 acre⋅ft (476,400,000 m3)[2]
Shore length1	65 miles (105 km)[3]
Surface elevation	6,539 ft (1,993 m)[1]
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

In addition to the Madison River, which flows through the reservoir, the tributaries include the South Fork Madison River, which feeds the southeastern Madison Arm, as well as Duck Creek, Grayling Creek and Red Canyon Creek, which flow into the eastern Grayling Arm. To the west, opposite the Grayling Arm, Watkins Creek flows into the main part of the reservoir.

Recreation

Hebgen Lake and the surrounding area offer many recreational activities: camping, fishing, boating, and hiking. Campgrounds include Rainbow Point and Cherry Creek. Rainbow Point is the largest campground on the lake, offering four "loops." Each loop contains approximately 20 campsites. Each campsite can accommodate a full-size camper and one or two vehicles.^[5]

See also

• Firehole Ranch
• Quake Lake
• Yellowstone Caldera

Images

• 
  Hebgen Lake, Montana with a mountain as a backdrop
• 
  Madison Arm, looking towards Cherry Creek Campground
• 
  Hebgen Lake, looking North from Rainbow Point Campground
• 
  Cabin partially submerged by 1959 earthquake

References

1. "Hebgen Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
2. "Hebgen Lake". Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
3. "Hebgen Lake Is 65 Miles Around". Montana Standard. August 19, 1959. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
4. "Large Earthquakes in the United States". United States Geological Survey. Archived from the original on November 18, 2007.
5. "Hebgen Lake Basin Area". Custer Gallatin National Forest. USDA Forest Service. Retrieved July 13, 2020.

External links

• Hebgen Lake Bathymetric Map Archived 2020-07-14 at the Wayback Machine Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks