Lower Yellowstone Falls

Drop everything

Is it plungeworthy?

308feet tall

A plunge on Yellowstone River.

Scale60/60

Documentation20/20

Character14/20

The details

Type: Plunge
Watercourse: Yellowstone River
Coordinates: 44.71802, -110.49619

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About Lower Yellowstone Falls

Lower Yellowstone Falls is a 308-foot plunge in Wyoming, on Yellowstone River.

Fed largely by snowmelt, it runs hardest in late spring and early summer and can thin to a trickle by late season.

Plungeworthy rates Lower Yellowstone Falls 9.4/10 — drop everything. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.

What you'll find

The 308-foot centerpiece of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone — twice Niagara's height, framed by canyon walls stained yellow and rose by hot-spring chemistry. Artist Point serves the classic view on a flat, wheelchair-accessible hundred yards; the Brink of the Lower Falls trail drops you beside the lip where the river simply leaves the world.

Getting there

Trailhead: Artist Point (South Rim Drive) for the view; Brink of the Lower Falls (North Rim) for the drop
Parking: Big lots that fill by mid-morning in season
Road: Paved; Canyon roads open roughly May through early November
Hike: 0.2 mi round trip (easy)
Heads up: The historic Uncle Tom's stair trail is permanently closed — since 2019, never reopening. The Brink trail (steep switchbacks, ~600 ft down and back up) is the legitimate close-up.

When to go

June for peak flow and green light in the mist; September for empty rails. Winter access is snowcoach country.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: Yellowstone entrance $35/vehicle; no reservation system
Dogs: Not on trails — 100-foot road rule park-wide
Camping: Canyon Campground at Canyon Village
Warnings: Every year someone climbs past a railing here. The canyon is 900 feet deep. Don't.

Researched from Wikipedia — Yellowstone Falls · Cowboy State Daily — Uncle Tom's Trail permanently closed. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Lower Yellowstone Falls recently? Post a conditions report below.

Where it is

Before you go

The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.