While much smaller than Yellowstone Lake, Lewis and Shoshone lakes don’t offer any less adventure for paddlers. Lewis Lake is a great daytrip destination, small enough to circumnavigate in a day, while Shoshone Lake offers a more intimate experience with the park’s backcountry.

Navigate the 3.5-mile-long Lewis River Channel to Shoshone Lake and you’ll discover a lake reached only on foot or by paddle. Simmering along the western lakeshore is the Shoshone Geyser Basin – a fuming, sputtering and bubbling pocket of thermal activity without the crowds or boardwalks found in Yellowstone’s other thermal basins.

Since motorboats are banned from Shoshone Lake, only the determined ply the lake’s waters, and the resulting solitude is well-worth the expended sweat.