Waterfalls in Yellowstone

These magnificent waterfalls are caused mostly by many years of erosion from the Yellowstone River. Below you will find some of the most beautiful falls that you can visit in the park.

Upper Falls

The Upper Falls are upstream from the Lower Falls and it runs about 109 feet high.

Lower Falls

The magnificent Lower Falls runs about 308 feet high. It can be seen from many locations such as Lookout Point, Red Rock Point, Artist Point, Brink of the Lower Falls Trail and some areas of the South Rim Trail. The Lower Falls have been described as being twice as big as Niagara Falls when you consider height but not the volume of water.

The volume of water flowing over the falls can vary from 63,500 gallon per second at peak runoff to 5,000 gallon per second in the fall.

Crystal Falls

Crystal Falls is an impressive 129 foot waterfall that is easily overlooked by its neighbors on the Yellowstone River but is often considered to be more graceful. This waterfall tumbles along Cascade Creek rather than the Yellowstone River.

Directions to Crystal Falls: Park at the Brink of the Upper Falls lot. It is reached by a short spur road 1.7 miles south of Canyon Junction along the Grand Loop Road. The short spur road leads to a large car park.

If you want to see the falls from the Uncle Tom's Trailhead, drive onto the South Rim Drive 2.3 miles south of Canyon Junction on the Grand Loop Road. Then drive about 0.6 miles on South Rim Drive to the large car park for Uncle Tom's Trail and Overlook.

Virginia Cascade

Virginia Cascade tumbles 60 feet over a relatively gradual slope into a deep canyon. The falls are just a few feet from the roadway and there are only a few places where automobiles can pull off the narrow roadway to observe the falls. It is a very beautiful waterfall not far from the mouth of a lush meadow, and surrounded by a thick strand of lodge pole pines.

Directions: Virginia Cascades is located 2.5 miles east of Norris Junction on the Norris to Canyon road. It is located along a mile long side drive to the south of the main road.

Lost Falls

If you want to get away from the largely touristy waterfalls then this is a waterfall for you! Lost Falls (also called Lost Creek Falls) is a beautiful 40 foot waterfall sitting quietly in a shadowy forest setting a little over 1/4mile behind Roosevelt Lodge. It is a short hike from the Roosevelt Lodge. This waterfall is a light flowing fall so the best time to see it would be any time before June.

Directions: You first need to get to the Roosevelt Lodge at the Tower Roosevelt Junction on the Grand Loop Road near the northeast section of the park (a little over 18 miles north of Canyon Junction and 28.6 miles from the park's northeast entrance and about 18 miles east of the Mammoth Junction). Once you find parking, you walk behind the lodge towards a large signboard where the description given above picks up.

Undine Falls

Undine Falls tumbles over 100 feet in a series of three shorter drops. This is one of the easier waterfalls to see as it's right off the Grand Loop Road and there's a car park where you can enjoy the top down view.

Directions: You can appreciate the scene from a roadside pullout along the Grand Loop Road about 4 miles east of Mammoth.