Yellowstone
Yellowstone Lake is gorgeous,and well worth the trip. I work on the Helitack crew at Mammoth in YNP. I started there in 1999, and it was that lake that inspired me to take up sailing. Altogether I have only sailed on it about 8 to 10 times, all daysails except one 2 day cruise. I have sailed the lake in my first boat, a Grumman canoe with a clamp-on lateen rig. I/we moved up to a 14.5 ft whitehall style dinghy, and then to a 26S. Our one overnighter was anchored off a designated campsite in the Flat Mountain Arm. There are several good anchorages along this west shore. The prevailing wind is from the S.W., with a lot of fetch for waves to develope. Consequently, the east shore can get pretty rough. Grant Village in the West Thumb is the best place to launch a sailboat. There is a good ramp and marina at Bridge Bay, but you have to pass under the bridge to get out of the bay. We have launched there in the dinghy. With the sprit sail we could pass right under, but no go with any sloop bigger than an optimus pram. You are right about the changable weather, but I am sure you know what kind of havic T-storms and the like can reek on a mountain lake. Due to the elevation, 7733ft, the water is usaully very cold. People in the water succumb to hypothermia quickly. But there are lots of protected anchorages and even a dock or two along that western shore, as well as the west side of Frank Island. The only negative aspect of cruising on Yellowstone Lake is that the Park Service requires all backcountry users to camp in designated sites. You can sleep aboard, but you have to "park" at the site you have preregistered at. This system limits the spontanaity of a cruise. With my job,its hard to know exactly when a day off is going to roll around, so all this preregistering is an added burden. On the plus side, the lake is never crowded, and we camped in total seclusion. There are permits and other reqirements, so I would urge youto contact the Park Service well before you arrive. I am pretty sure you can preregister to get the campsites that you want. While you are in the area, you may want to check out Hebgen Lake near West Yellowstone. We have cruised there several times - beautiful mountain lake, drop anchor anywhere. Please keep in touch, maybe we could meet you on the water in August, although I make no promises.My days off depend on what the fire season is doing. I sail with my wife whenever possible, sometimes our youngest daughter comes along, the older kids like toys with bigger motors.If you would like to pick my brain about Yellowstone, you can email me: bcdanu@netzero.com