The Many Waterfalls of Yellowstone

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Decided to do the posts on Yellowstone a little different. Instead of doing by what we saw each day in Yellowstone, I'm going to divide up by the types of things we saw in Yellowstone over the course of the three days we spent there.

First up...my favorite...waterfalls. Yellowstone National Park has quite a few waterfalls in it. Most are easily accessible by car. Only a few require hiking or more than 1/2 mile walks. Here are the waterfalls I was able to see and what I thought:

1. Lewis Falls: First of the waterfalls we saw as we entered Yellowstone and located just off the road. Is a smaller fall of only 29 feet but set in a very pretty environment. You can walk down and even swim or wade in the river located down from the falls. There are also lots of trees in the water so you can walk into the river without getting wet and get another great view of the Falls. Incredibly clear water.

2. Kepler Cascades: This was one of my early favorites. Tiered waterfall located just off the road. Although web sites indicate that it is only 50 feet, it seems much larger since it has a steep drop into the river below over the course of three distinctive tiers.

3. Firehole Falls: Located just south of Madison, is a wide waterfall with about 40 feet of drop. Located on a one way and worth the few minutes of extra driving.

4. Gibbon Falls: From the reviews I read, a lot of people seem to like this waterfall but it wasn't one of my faves. Located east of Madison, it's a waterfall of about 80 feet.

5. Rustic Falls: Can be easily missed if you don't stop to take a photo of the Golden Gate. Located just off the road, is a 47 foot waterfall. Isn't a strong flow, but we saw rainbows at the bottom.

6. Undine Falls: Located east of Mammoth Hot Springs, is a very pretty two-three tier waterfall of about 110 feet.

7. Tower Fall: Located at its namesake, is a very impressive 130 foot waterfall located just off the road. You can also take a hike to the base of the falls which I'm told is equally impressive. We didn't have time to do that...maybe next time. This was a fave of mine. The classic cliff drop waterfall.

8. Lower Yellowstone Falls: This was my fave of all we saw. The big one with a 308 foot drop and loud roar of pounding water. Located in the colorful Yellowstone Grand Canyon. The waterfall and Yellowstone River cut through the vibrantly colored canyon of yellows, reds and oranges surrounded by green trees. The waterfall and mist is very pretty, but the setting absolutely cannot be beat. There are several places to view the Lower Falls throughout the several stops around the Canyon.

9. Upper Yellowstone Falls: I loved this waterfall. It is located in a darker part of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Is so beautiful and the greens of the trees around it make it colorful in a different way than the Lower Falls. Is 109 feet.

There are a few other waterfalls in Yellowstone that we missed that I will have to get to next time. Next post...wildlife!

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Photos

View from Artist Point
Lower Yellowstone Falls

Comments

[stacy]

beautiful
Amy, you take wonderful pictures and I love the shots of the waterfalls. They are simply beautiful.