Gibbon River

The Gibbon River flows east of the Continental Divide in Yellowstone National Park, in northwestern Wyoming, the Northwestern United States. Along with the Firehole River, it is a major tributary of the Madison River, which itself is a tributary of the Missouri River.

Description

The Gibbon River rises in the center of the park at Grebe Lake. It flows for a short distance into Wolf Lake. Below Wolf Lake, the river flows through Virginia Cascades into the Norris valley. It flows near the Norris Geyser Basin and through the Gibbon Geyser Basin. From there it flows through the Gibbon River Canyon to its confluence with the Firehole River to form the Madison River. Early maps listed the river as Gibbons Fork or the East Fork of the Madison River. The river between Norris and Madison Junction is paralleled by the Grand Loop Road. The river, along with Gibbon Falls, is named for Colonel John Gibbon,^[4] U.S. Army who participated in the 1872 Hayden Geological Survey of Yellowstone.

Angling

The Gibbon River is a popular trout fishing destination. The upper section of river has very difficult access being choked with thick forests and lots of downed timber. The fish, consisting of brook trout, rainbow trout and grayling are all on the small side, rarely exceeding 10 inches (250 mm). Below Gibbon Falls access is excellent and the river has a healthly mix of rainbow and brown trout. The lower river receives a good run of spawning browns in the fall.^[5][6]

The Gibbon River is fly fishing only and catch and release below Gibbon Falls. Above the falls, any grayling or cutthroat trout caught must be released. An unlimited number of brook, rainbow and/or brown trout may be harvested daily in the waters above the falls.^[7]

Gallery

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gibbon River.

Images of the Gibbon River
Gibbon River bridge at Norris, 1912  Gibbon River bridge near Beryl Spring, 1912  Gibbon River bridge near Madison Junction, 1912  Gibbon River headwaters, 2003  Gibbon Falls, May 2003

See also

• Gibbon Falls
• Grand Loop Road Historic District
• Angling in Yellowstone National Park
• Fishes of Yellowstone National Park
• Tributaries of the Missouri River

References

Further reading

• Back, Howard (1938). The Waters of the Yellowstone with Rod and Fly. New York: Dodd & Mead. 
• Parks, Richard (1998). Fishing Yellowstone National Park. Helena, MT: Falcon Press. ISBN 1-56044-625-0. 
• Brooks, Charles E. (1979). The Living River-A Fisherman's Intimate Profile of the Madison River Watershed--Its History, Ecology, Lore and Angling Opportunities. Garden City, NJ: Nick Lyons Books. ISBN 0-385-15655-3. 
• Mathews, Craig; Molinero, Clayton (1997). The Yellowstone Fly-Fishing Guide-A authoritative guide to the waters of Yellowstone National Park. Guilford, CT: The Lyons Press. ISBN 1-55821-545-X. 
• Brooks, Charles E. (1984). Fishing Yellowstone Waters. Clinton, NJ: New Win Publishing Inc. ISBN 0-8329-0353-1. 

Yellowstone National Park - Norris and Madison Geothermal features, historic structures and other attractions in the Norris and Madison Junction areas Norris Geyser Basin Big Alcove Spring Echinus Geyser Emerald Spring Steamboat Geyser Gibbon Geyser Basin Beryl Spring Structures and History Grand Loop Road Historic District Norris Geyser Basin Museum Norris, Madison, and Fishing Bridge Museums Philetus Norris Geography and Geology Echo Peak Gibbon Falls Gibbon River Grebe Lake Firehole Falls Firehole River Madison River Mount Haynes Mount Holmes Mount Jackson National Park Mountain Purple Mountain Obsidian Cliff Virginia Cascades West Yellowstone, Montana List of Yellowstone National Park related articles Media related to Norris Geyser Basin at Wikimedia Commons

State of Wyoming Cheyenne (capital) Topics Bibliography Fauna Governors Delegations Geography Government History People Visitor attractions State symbols Radio stations Society Culture Crime Demographics Economy Education Politics Regions Black Hills Grand Teton Great Basin Powder River Country Red Desert Yellowstone Cities Buffalo Casper Cheyenne Cody Douglas Evanston Gillette Green River Jackson Lander Laramie Powell Rawlins Riverton Rock Springs Sheridan Torrington Worland Counties Albany Big Horn Campbell Carbon Converse Crook Fremont Goshen Hot Springs Johnson Laramie Lincoln Natrona Niobrara Park Platte Sheridan Sublette Sweetwater Teton Uinta Washakie Weston