The Lamar River is a tributary of the

Yellowstone River The Yellowstone River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately long, in the Western United States. Considered the principal tributary of upper Missouri, via its own tributaries it drains an area with headwaters across the mountains a ...

, approximately long, in northwestern

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to t ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. The river is located entirely within

Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowst ...

History

Prior to the 1884–85

Geological Survey A geological survey is the systematic investigation of the geology beneath a given piece of ground for the purpose of creating a geological map or model. Geological surveying employs techniques from the traditional walk-over survey, studying o ...

of the park, the Lamar was known as the East Fork of the Yellowstone River. During that survey, Geologist

Arnold Hague Arnold Hague (December 3, 1840 in Boston, Massachusetts – May 14, 1917 in Washington, D.C.) was a United States geologist who did many geological surveys in the U.S., of which the best known was that for Yellowstone National Park. He also had as ...

named the river for L.Q.C. (Lucius Quintius Cincinnatus) Lamar, then Secretary of the Interior (March 1885 – January 1888), and a former slaveholder and author of the

Mississippi Ordinance of Secession The Mississippi Secession Ordinance was written by Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar (II), who resigned from the U.S. Congress in January 1861. and The ordinance was signed by James Z. George and others. Text of Ordinance: References Sece ...

. The Lamar Valley, or the ''Secluded Valley'' of Trapper

Osborne Russell Osborne Russell (19 June 1814 – 1 May 1884) was a mountain man and politician who helped form the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. He was born in Maine. Early life Osborne Russell was born 19 June 1814, in the village of Bowdoinha ...

and other park features or administrative names which contain ''Lamar'' are derived from this original naming. Osborne Russell in his 1921 ''Journal of a Trapper'' described the Lamar as follows: In 1869, the Cook–Folsom–Peterson Expedition encountered the Lamar River (East Fork) just upstream from the canyon section flowing into the Yellowstone and traveled upstream to the confluence of Calfee Creek where they camped on September 16, 1869.

Location and tributaries

It rises in the

Absaroka Range The Absaroka Range ( or ) is a sub-range of the Rocky Mountains in the United States. The range stretches about across the Montana– Wyoming border, and at its widest, forming the eastern boundary of Yellowstone National Park along Paradise ...

, on the eastern edge of the park, and flows northwest through the northeast corner of the park. It is joined by many tributary streams, including Soda Butte Creek and Slough Creek and joins the Yellowstone near Tower Junction, below the

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is the first large canyon on the Yellowstone River downstream from Yellowstone Falls in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. The canyon is approximately long, between deep and from wide. History Althoug ...

. The river flows through a portion of the park hit hard by the 1988 wildfires.

Angling

The Lamar River, with its tributaries is a popular destination for

fly fishing Fly fishing is an angling method that uses a light-weight fishing lure, lure—called an artificial fly—to catch fish. The fly is Casting (fishing), cast using a fly rod, Fishing reel#Fly reel, reel, and specialized Fly line, weighted line. T ...

in Yellowstone Park. The access is very easy and the cutthroat fishing is some of the best in the world. There are some

rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead (sometimes called "steelhead trout") is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coast ...

in the river below the road bridge, but the primary fishing throughout the drainage is for

Yellowstone cutthroat trout The Yellowstone cutthroat trout (''Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri'') is a subspecies of the cutthroat trout (''Oncorhynchus clarkii''). It is a freshwater fish in the salmon family (family Salmonidae). Native only to a few U.S. states, their ...

. Cutthroat trout in the Lamar offer good dry fly fishing with heavy hatches of caddis, pale morning duns, and large Green Drakes in July. Terrestrials are prominent in late summer. The Lamar and its tributaries are not usually fishable until about the second week of July, because of high water, so check conditions by contacting local fly stores. The National Park Service has made frequent changes to the regulations for the Lamar and for its tributaries including Slough Creek and Soda Butte, and in 2018 has made significant new changes. Anglers are now required to kill all non-native fish, including rainbow trout, brook trout, and identifiable rainbow/cutthroat hybrids throughout the Lamar drainage. On page 14 of the 2018 regulations they still say that if it has a red slash put it back, but that is clearly superseded by the region specific requirement that if a fish landed in the Lamar drainage is clearly identifiable as a hybrid then it must be killed, even if it has a red slash, with the caveat that "if you don't know, let it go." Another significant change to the Park-wide fishing regulations is that felt soles are no longer permitted on waders. Other Park-wide regulations, that continue from previous years, are that barbed hooks, lead weights, lead split shot, and live bait are banned.

Wildlife

Bison and pronghorn in Lamar Valley (27426095772)

Along the river, there are pronghorn, bison, and bear within the area of the Lamar River Valley. Around the world, it is one of the most consistent environments to view wolves. There are two famous wolf packs in the area. The Lamar Canyon and Junction Butte wolf packs inhabit the area along the Lamar River. and is widely known as one of the best places in Yellowstone National Park to view wildlife, especially

grizzly bears The grizzly bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis''), also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America. In addition to the mainland grizzly (''Ursus arctos horri ...

and

wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...

. Three locations in the valley—Soda Butte, Crystal Creek and Rose Creek were the sites for the 1995 re-introduction of wolves into Yellowstone. Birds in the area include osprey and bald eagle. The area along the Lamar River is often referred to as America's Serengeti.

Hiking

The Lamar River Trail is a seven mile long round-trip hiking trail. The trail's hiking difficulty is easy and the trip can be completed in one day. Along this trail, it is possible to see the extensive wildlife habitat the area has to offer. Even if one does not hike the entire trail, even only when hiking a few miles you will be near herds of bison along the trail. There are two great campsites, 3L1 and 3L2, along the trail within the area near Cache Creek. However, campsite 3L2 can be hard to access in the spring when the Lamar River is high, as it requires a ford in order to reach it. Along the upper sections of the trail one can find outfitters offering guided trips on horseback to go deep into the wilderness.

Climate

Notes

{{authority control Rivers of Wyoming Rivers of Yellowstone National Park Tributaries of the Yellowstone River Rivers of Park County, Wyoming