Route Editor
Route Scout
 Overview The Lower Falls is 308 ft. high and can be seen from Lookout Point, Red Rock Point, Artist Point, Brink of the Lower Falls Trail, and from various points on the South Rim Trail. The Lower Falls is often described as being more than twice the size of Niagara, although this only refers to its height and not the volume of water flowing over it. The volume of water flowing over the falls can vary from 63,500 gal/sec at peak runoff to 5,000 gal/sec in the fall. Check out the Triplogs. Leave No Trace and +Add a Triplog after your hike to support this local community.
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WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.
Most recent Triplog Reviews
Lower Yellowstone Falls
Yellowstone Geysers & Waterfalls
After spending four days backpacking in the Tetons, we spent a night in a KOA Cabin near Jackson. The next day we woke bright and early and made the long drive into Yellowstone. Our plan is to hike a variety of tourist hikes and then spend the night backpacking to Firehole Falls. We’ll do more tourist stuff the next day and will return to Jackson that evening.
The drive up went fairly well. We followed the main highway and made good time. Along the way we passed a large herd of bison just off the road. We continued on and had to pass through a portion of Teton National Park and then on to Yellowstone. I had an NPS Pass which was very convenient. Once we entered Yellowstone we continued north and headed right for Old Faithful where we picked up our backpacking permit. It was quick and easy getting our permit. The ranger asked if we needed to see the bear safety video and we said no. We spoke about our four days in the Tetons so he was comfortable with us not watching it.
After that we headed over to the general store and then walked over to Old Faithful where the crowds were massing for the eruption. We ended up having to wait 20 minutes for it blow but it was worth it. The geyser launches water into the air roughly 50 feet. We watched for about sixty seconds and I said that’s enough let’s go! So we pulled a Clark Griswold and walked away as Old Faithful continued to erupt. From there we drove over to Biscuit Basin, Grand Prismatic Spring and then Fountain Paint Pot. We made several short stops and did some very light hiking. The geysers and hot springs are amazing and this place is crowded for a reason. We found it best to park on the road and then walk to the attractions. The parking lots were jammed pack especially during the afternoon.
Once it hit mid-afternoon we drove back to the Old Faithful area for lunch. There were only a few options for us. We waited in a very long line at a grille by the general store. The food took a while but it was nice to chill after the go go go the past few days. After lunch we picked up some supplies and headed back to Biscuit Basin where we planned on backpacking to Firehole Falls.
Fast forward to Day 2… We completed our backpack and returned to the rental car parked at Biscuit Basin. We packed up our gear and headed north. Our goal is to complete a loop with short stops along the way and a long stop at The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. We did a quick drive by along Firehole Lake Drive where we saw several more geysers including White Dome Geyser. From there we continued driving and saw several cool features from the road.
We eventually arrived at the Yellowstone Falls areas and spent an hour eating lunch and doing some shopping. After that we drove over to the very crowded Lower Yellowstone Falls parking area. The area was a zoo and took about ten minutes to secure a parking spot. Once we were parked we spent a couple of hours hiking along the rim and also hiked to the top of the lower falls. The area was very crowded but most people are slow and easy to pass. Once we had our fill we returned to the car and started the return to Jackson Hole. We timed it just right because a moderate rain fell on our drive back.
Our short trip to Yellowstone was over. The geysers and hot springs are amazing and I’m so glad we made the trip up here. Yes it crowded but it’s worth it. Just park off the road and spend the five extra minutes hiking to the start of the attractions. It’s well worth your time and effort.
The drive up went fairly well. We followed the main highway and made good time. Along the way we passed a large herd of bison just off the road. We continued on and had to pass through a portion of Teton National Park and then on to Yellowstone. I had an NPS Pass which was very convenient. Once we entered Yellowstone we continued north and headed right for Old Faithful where we picked up our backpacking permit. It was quick and easy getting our permit. The ranger asked if we needed to see the bear safety video and we said no. We spoke about our four days in the Tetons so he was comfortable with us not watching it.
After that we headed over to the general store and then walked over to Old Faithful where the crowds were massing for the eruption. We ended up having to wait 20 minutes for it blow but it was worth it. The geyser launches water into the air roughly 50 feet. We watched for about sixty seconds and I said that’s enough let’s go! So we pulled a Clark Griswold and walked away as Old Faithful continued to erupt. From there we drove over to Biscuit Basin, Grand Prismatic Spring and then Fountain Paint Pot. We made several short stops and did some very light hiking. The geysers and hot springs are amazing and this place is crowded for a reason. We found it best to park on the road and then walk to the attractions. The parking lots were jammed pack especially during the afternoon.
Once it hit mid-afternoon we drove back to the Old Faithful area for lunch. There were only a few options for us. We waited in a very long line at a grille by the general store. The food took a while but it was nice to chill after the go go go the past few days. After lunch we picked up some supplies and headed back to Biscuit Basin where we planned on backpacking to Firehole Falls.
Fast forward to Day 2… We completed our backpack and returned to the rental car parked at Biscuit Basin. We packed up our gear and headed north. Our goal is to complete a loop with short stops along the way and a long stop at The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. We did a quick drive by along Firehole Lake Drive where we saw several more geysers including White Dome Geyser. From there we continued driving and saw several cool features from the road.
We eventually arrived at the Yellowstone Falls areas and spent an hour eating lunch and doing some shopping. After that we drove over to the very crowded Lower Yellowstone Falls parking area. The area was a zoo and took about ten minutes to secure a parking spot. Once we were parked we spent a couple of hours hiking along the rim and also hiked to the top of the lower falls. The area was very crowded but most people are slow and easy to pass. Once we had our fill we returned to the car and started the return to Jackson Hole. We timed it just right because a moderate rain fell on our drive back.
Our short trip to Yellowstone was over. The geysers and hot springs are amazing and I’m so glad we made the trip up here. Yes it crowded but it’s worth it. Just park off the road and spend the five extra minutes hiking to the start of the attractions. It’s well worth your time and effort.
2017-07-24 John9L
Lower Yellowstone Falls
Touristas in Yellowstone
After our adventure on the Teton Crest Trail, I realized I had opted to prepay for a full tank of gas on the rental car. It seemed stupid not to use it, so we set out on a 400-mile driving adventure through the land of Boo Boo and picinic baskets.
Not much to say. Pictures don't do it justice. As much as I dislike touristy spots, they tend to be that way because they are in fact pretty impressive to see. I'd put this place in that category. I bet it would be nice in winter though...
Not much to say. Pictures don't do it justice. As much as I dislike touristy spots, they tend to be that way because they are in fact pretty impressive to see. I'd put this place in that category. I bet it would be nice in winter though...
2017-07-24 chumley
Lower Yellowstone Falls
This was the second stop of my quick tour of Yellowstone.
The falls were great, but the people and pavement detract. I continued down the south rim to some pretty nice overlooks and eventually Ribbon Lake, which I would not really suggest to anyone to be honest. Its a pretty bland, buggy lake and the trail was not even that great. Silver Cord Cascade is hard to see and rather pedestrian as well, so not much going on there either. Clear Lake on the other hand and the rest of the loop were very pleasant. In particular, I liked the geothermal activity along the trail and I thought Clear Lake was a nice destination. The trail ended to some nice meadows and I cut a little corner to shorten the road walk back to my car.
The falls were great, but the people and pavement detract. I continued down the south rim to some pretty nice overlooks and eventually Ribbon Lake, which I would not really suggest to anyone to be honest. Its a pretty bland, buggy lake and the trail was not even that great. Silver Cord Cascade is hard to see and rather pedestrian as well, so not much going on there either. Clear Lake on the other hand and the rest of the loop were very pleasant. In particular, I liked the geothermal activity along the trail and I thought Clear Lake was a nice destination. The trail ended to some nice meadows and I cut a little corner to shorten the road walk back to my car.
2017-07-18 friendofThundergod
Lower Yellowstone Falls
The last of our hikes for the day and it was a doozie. It was getting very late. We had made an erroneous stop and ended up at the North Rim Overlook at the top of these Falls before realizing the error in our ways. Altho as errors go, this one wasn't too bad at (The Brink of the Lower Falls - at 308 feet Lower Falls is the tallest waterfall in the park. In terms of height alone, it’s more than twice the size of Niagara Falls.). We got back in Snowball for the drive across the bridge to the other side of the canyon (South Rim) for this hike. Needless to say, it's a lot easier driving Rim to Rim for the Yellowstone Canyon than the Grand Canyon.
We were running out of steam after starting our day at Mammoth to Norris to Midway to Upper Geysers and finally to here. We were lucky to find parking for the 34' Snowball for all of these stops. Trust me, that was no easy feat. You'll have to take a moment to check out this page, scroll down to see the picture of how they used to do this hike when Uncle Tom led it. yellowstonepark.com ... ail/ I love this description, "The trip was not for the faint of heart, requiring ropes and rope ladders to offer a measure of safety and prevent guests from tumbling off the steep canyon walls."
It was getting dark now so the light for my filming was not the best. We would only encounter about 1/2 dozen other hikers during this time where we made our way down 300 steel steps (500 feet elevation loss) three quarters the way to the bottom of the canyon while listening to the roar of the Falls get louder and louder and louder. There is another viewpoint you can go out to before continuing down but we were already running behind. There are a couple of photogenic stops along the way but once you reach the viewing platform, The Lower Falls up close and personal is such a sight
. We lingered a bit before heading back up the 328 steps pulling on the rail to get us up a little easier.
Before you know it, you're almost to an area where you can see daylight again. It was a fun experience; I highly recommend it. We still had to make our way to our campsite for the nite at Fishing Bridge. But first we made one more stop at the Mud Volcano area which was pretty cool. We did notice on our drive when we cut across on the Norris Road that there was smoke in the distance and that indeed would be a fire but not a bad one. We enjoyed our visit at the Mud Volcano (not very active caldron) that included Dragon's Mouth (turbulent hot spring with a cavernous mouth. Water sloshes rhythmically in and out of the cavern) and Black Dragon's Caldron (This thermal feature did not exist before the winter of 1947-1948, and it was first discovered on June 10,1948.)
My videos include pictures:
Drive from Upper Geyser to Brink of Upper Yellowstone Falls https://youtu.be/A0 ... HQ4E
Uncle Tom's hike https://youtu.be/wm ... mOn0
South Rim to Mud Volcano https://youtu.be/-P ... pQys
We were running out of steam after starting our day at Mammoth to Norris to Midway to Upper Geysers and finally to here. We were lucky to find parking for the 34' Snowball for all of these stops. Trust me, that was no easy feat. You'll have to take a moment to check out this page, scroll down to see the picture of how they used to do this hike when Uncle Tom led it. yellowstonepark.com ... ail/ I love this description, "The trip was not for the faint of heart, requiring ropes and rope ladders to offer a measure of safety and prevent guests from tumbling off the steep canyon walls."
It was getting dark now so the light for my filming was not the best. We would only encounter about 1/2 dozen other hikers during this time where we made our way down 300 steel steps (500 feet elevation loss) three quarters the way to the bottom of the canyon while listening to the roar of the Falls get louder and louder and louder. There is another viewpoint you can go out to before continuing down but we were already running behind. There are a couple of photogenic stops along the way but once you reach the viewing platform, The Lower Falls up close and personal is such a sight
. We lingered a bit before heading back up the 328 steps pulling on the rail to get us up a little easier.
Before you know it, you're almost to an area where you can see daylight again. It was a fun experience; I highly recommend it. We still had to make our way to our campsite for the nite at Fishing Bridge. But first we made one more stop at the Mud Volcano area which was pretty cool. We did notice on our drive when we cut across on the Norris Road that there was smoke in the distance and that indeed would be a fire but not a bad one. We enjoyed our visit at the Mud Volcano (not very active caldron) that included Dragon's Mouth (turbulent hot spring with a cavernous mouth. Water sloshes rhythmically in and out of the cavern) and Black Dragon's Caldron (This thermal feature did not exist before the winter of 1947-1948, and it was first discovered on June 10,1948.)
My videos include pictures:
Drive from Upper Geyser to Brink of Upper Yellowstone Falls https://youtu.be/A0 ... HQ4E
Uncle Tom's hike https://youtu.be/wm ... mOn0
South Rim to Mud Volcano https://youtu.be/-P ... pQys
2015-09-10 tibber
