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| | | Yellowstone North Rim Trail, WY | | | |
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Yellowstone North Rim Trail, WY
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| Hiking | 8.37 Miles |
1,227 AEG |
| | Hiking | 8.37 Miles | 4 Hrs 31 Mns | | 2.47 mph |
| 1,227 ft AEG | 1 Hour 8 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | We began at the Upper Falls Trailhead, and followed the paved walkway down to the overlook at the top of the Upper Yellowstone Falls, which was very wide and powerful, with a tremendous spray that cooled us off. There was no way to reach the bottom of the falls without gear.
We then returned up to the parking lot, and followed the North Rim Trail to Crystal Falls, which is over 120 feet high, but is miniscule compared to the Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls. We found a use trail that appeared to descend to the bottom of Crystal falls, but reached a dead end at the edge of a cliff.
We continued to the Lower Yellowstone Falls overlook, along a trail which descended along 8 switchbacks to a great view of the Lower Falls. We then went back up to the North Rim Trail and followed it to the end, past several other overlooks, to Inspiration Point, which provided great views of the canyon, both upstream and downstream. There were some beautiful and remarkable views of the canyon along the way. We then turned around and headed back, dodging tourists along the way.
Overall, this is definitely worth the experience. It is an easy trail that provides great views of the canyon and falls. However, it generally runs parallel to the road, and passes across 5 parking lots. It is a packed dirt trail between the parking lots, but becomes paved and crowded with tourists at each lot. At each parking lot, there is an overlook of the canyon and/or falls. There are moderate-grade paved descents to each of the falls, which make up most of the AEG along this route. There are better views of the canyon along the trail in between the overlooks. All 3 falls are incredible. Crystal Falls itself is amazing, but it is dwarfed by the size and power of the Upper and Lower Falls. The pictures don't even begin to show the incredible power, volume, and ferocity of these falls. |
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