North America's largest alpine lake, the deep and (usually) deceptively calm Yellowstone Lake fills the eastern half of the Yellowstone caldera. At 7733ft above sea level it's high enough to be frozen for half the year, but in summer it's filled with tourists out on cruises (one hour; $7.30), rowboats ($6 per hour), motor launches ($30 per hour) and fishing expeditions ($55 for two hours). Boat tours leave from the Bridge Bay Marina near Lake Village.

At the West Thumb Geyser basin, north of Grant Village, hot pools empty into the tranquil waters and fizz away into nothing, and it's easy to see why early tourists would have made use of the so-called Fishing Cone by cooking fresh-caught fish in its boiling waters.

The ominous rumblings and sulphurous stench of the Mud Volcano area, north of the lake, make it the moodiest and ugliest of the park's thermal regions. A one-mile boardwalk winds through gurgling pools of sickly brown and yellow mud, past trees that have been steamed to death, to the bleak, barren shores of Sour Lake : an unnerving sight at the best of times, at dusk it makes a chemical waste dump look appealing. Joining a free ranger-led tour here gives you the chance to get off the boardwalk and into the backcountry, where the Big Gumper , which blew into existence in the 1970s, bubbles with big gray globs of smelly mud.

Snack bars and restaurants inside the park aren't cheap, but given where you are they're not hideously expensive either. Buying food at the general stores can get pricey. There's not a lot of menu variation among the restaurants , which are located at Old Faithful Inn, Old Faithful Snow Lodge, Roosevelt Lodge, Lake Yellowstone Hotel, Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, Canyon Lodge and Grant Village ; however, Old Faithful Inn and Lake Yellowstone Hotel are the clear standouts for location, mood and ambience. Entrees ($14-22) run from salmon and steak to roast dinners and lighter choices such as burgers or Caesar salads ($8), with desserts ($4-5) and a basic range of beers and wines available too. Note that dinner reservations are required during summer at Old Faithful Inn (tel 307/545-4999), Lake Yellowstone Hotel (tel 307/242-3899) and Grant Village (tel 307/242-3499); you won't get a table without one. The restaurants are also open for lunch and breakfast ; they usually offer a breakfast buffet that includes fresh fruit, cereals, pastries and standard cooked breakfast items, all for around $7.

The gateway towns hold few culinary delights, but do offer cheaper prices and more variety. In West Yellowstone , Nancy P's , 29 Canyon St (tel 406/646-9737), is good for breakfast, and Rustlers's Roost , 234 Firehole Ave (tel 406/646-7622), offers local wild game, including elk and bison, with tasty dinners starting around $15. The lively and friendly Town Café (tel 406/848-7322) on Park Street in Gardiner serves good filling breakfasts, and the stylish Beartooth Café in Cooke City is probably the best place for breakfast, burgers and inexpensive dinners in any of the peripheral towns.

Within the park, the dining room at the Old Faithful Inn (tel 307/545-4999) serves high-quality meals (entrees $14-22) in an unforgettable rustic setting, with log walls and ceilings, and huge chandeliers lighting the elegant table settings.

Yellowstone Lake

• Yellowstone Lake

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