Upper Yellowstone Falls

Worth the drive

Is it plungeworthy?

109feet tall

A punchbowl on Yellowstone River.

Scale49/60

Documentation20/20

Character14/20

The details

Type: Punchbowl
Watercourse: Yellowstone River
Coordinates: 44.71281, -110.49981

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About Upper Yellowstone Falls

Upper Yellowstone Falls is a 109-foot punchbowl 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 Upper Yellowstone Falls 8.3/10 — worth the drive. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.

What you'll find

The Lower Falls' 109-foot opening act — and the one you can stand beside. The Brink of the Upper Falls platform puts the river's full weight a few feet away as it commits to the canyon; the guardrail hums.

Getting there

Trailhead: Brink of the Upper Falls, off South Rim Drive near Canyon Village
Parking: Small paved lot, fills fast in season
Road: Paved; Canyon roads open roughly mid-April to early November
Hike: 0.5 mi round trip, 50 ft of climb (easy)
Heads up: Uncle Tom's stair trail is permanently closed — this brink platform is the close-up now.

When to go

Late May and June for snowmelt fury; September for solitude at the rail.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: Yellowstone entrance $35/vehicle
Dogs: Not on trails
Camping: Canyon Campground, a mile off
Warnings: People die off-trail at this canyon — the platform is the boundary of wise.

Researched from NPS — Yellowstone waterfalls. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Upper 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.