A Butte-iful Lake View Virtual Cache
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A great spot to get a first view of Yellowstone Lake if coming from the East Entrance.
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LOGGING REQUIREMENTS (new for 2022)This cache has has a recent rash of people trying to claim the find from the lakeshore on East Entrance Rd. To reach the actual location, you need to drive the spur road to the Lake Butte overlook, several hundred feet elevation gain above the lake. I will let logs from before the 2022 season stand, but starting 6/26/2022 new logs MUST post a picture that gives evidence you were at the coordinates and the photo MUST include both you and the large rock with the view in the background. If you do not want to post a photo of yourself to a public cache log, please send it to me via the message center.
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From this vantage point, you are looking down into Yellowstone Lake, which sits atop the Yellowstone Caldera - a volcanic basin 30 miles across. Several interpretive signs here detail the geology of the hot spot and scientific explorations in this unique area.
When we visited in early 2003, this viewpoint was framed by a beautiful forest of mature, lush pines. Later that summer, a fire destroyed the canopy and killed most of the trees. Only a couple trees were spared, and the effects of this fire will be visible for decades to come.
A sign at the foot of the road warns that the road is unfit for RV's. There is little parking at the top, so use your best judgment in deciding if your vehicle is too big. Small trailers should have little problem, but larger ones will probably want to avoid the road. Once you get to the top, however, the lookout should be accessible to the handicapped and is very close to the car. In the off season, the road to this overlook might still be closed even when the East Entrance Road is open to traffic.
There is also an earthcache here, so be sure to log that one as well while you're visiting.
Additional Hints
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