Before we start... Kim reminded me that you can click on the photos and videos and they'll come up much larger which makes them more impressive. Then, just click the X in the upper right to close and go back to the entry.
On with the Show!
These videos and photos are of the Lower Yellowstone Falls in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
This is the more spectacular one of the two, mostly because it's drop is way longer (taller?).
The river is the Yellowstone River which comes out of the very large Yellowstone Lake (are we seeing a pattern here?). Yellowstone River flows into the Missouri River, which flows into the Mississippi River and eventually down into the Gulf of America. An amazing journey.
Here's a great shot from Google Earth showing the vast canyon looking upriver towards the Lower Falls that shows how steep the canyon is.
And a photo that was taken from Artist's Point on the south side.
One from the north side of the canyon. It's pretty impressive.
In order to get way down to the Observation area, there's a trail called...The Brink of Lower Falls Trail.
Here's where the trail ends up so you can look over at the falls.
Part of the trail heading down
Going up was much more of a challenge
You can see how crowded it gets at the railing. I like to keep my distance from other people when looking of the edge.
It's a steep, 0.7-mile out-and-back hike that offers breathtaking views of the Lower Falls and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
Length: Approximately 0.7 miles (1.1 kilometers) round trip.
Elevation Change: The trail descends about 600 feet (180 meters) over a short distance, making it a steep hike.
Difficulty: Generally considered moderately challenging due to the steepness, especially on the return hike.
The darnest thing about the trail is the footwear people wear. I saw open toed sandals, flip-flops (!), lots of crocks, flat lady's shoes. Amazing. I did notice that those people went slower than most.
So, here's some videos of the river and the falls.
A LOT of water going over !!
And...just a few extra photos thrown in here for your enjoyment.
This is what is called a "Bison Jam"
Here's the cause.
We could probably put out a dozen entries on Yellowstone alone, but this will have to do it for now.
We stayed a week and covered only a fraction of the park. It does get very crowded, so we entered before 7 every morning. After that time, the line backed up for miles, even before the entry.
When people go to Yellowstone, there are a few spots that are very popular. The thermal ponds, Old Faithful, the Bison, the Elk, the Bears and, one of our favorites, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
Here's the view from the east end looking up from what is called Painters Point.
But, to see the immense amount of water flowing down the river and then over the falls the absolutely amazing.
