Brink of the Lower Falls

Yellowstone National Park


The first of the North Rim viewpoints leads down a steep 0.75-mile trail, descending 600ft for exciting close-up views of the tumbling white water as the Yellowstone River rushes over the lip of the Lower Falls. Heading back up isn’t half as much fun as going down.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Yellowstone National Park attractions

1. Lookout Point

0.55 MILES

Popular Lookout Point, near Canyon Village, offers the best views of the Lower Falls. An adjacent 0.5-mile trail drops 500ft to Red Rock for even closer…

2. Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

0.65 MILES

Near Canyon Village, this is one of the park's true blockbuster sights. After its placid meanderings north from Yellowstone Lake, the Yellowstone River…

3. Grandview Point

0.72 MILES

The one-way North Rim Dr leads to Grandview Point, which offers views north over the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone's colorful smoking walls, though not…

4. Artist Point

0.85 MILES

Artist Point is probably the most famous of the canyon’s viewpoints, offering a long overview of the Lower Falls and canyon. It was not, as many people…

5. Canyon Visitor Education Center

1.15 MILES

This major center is well worth a visit for its innovative and interactive displays on Yellowstone’s geology. The highlight is a room-sized relief model…

6. Inspiration Point

1.37 MILES

A side road branches off North Rim Dr to reach busy Inspiration Point, which offers an overview of the length of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and a…

7. Glacial Boulder

1.39 MILES

Just before Inspiration Point is this huge granite boulder scooped up from the Beartooth Mountains, 15 miles away, by a glacier and deposited here 80,000…

8. Point Sublime

1.84 MILES

From Artist Point a trail leads 1 mile (45 minutes) to this viewpoint for more fabulous views of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone's colorful walls,…

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