Have you ever been to the Grand Canyon?
No, not that Grand Canyon. The other one.
The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is a mind-blower.
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
Yellowstone is SO diverse, its hard to pick favorites. But, surely, the Grand Canyon is one of them.
The sheer sight of it stagger the mind.
Sheer serrated cliffs awash in pastel pinks, yellows, and oranges, descend to frothy river torrents of emerald green.
How Best to See the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
You can easily spend a half-day or a whole day (or multiple days) exploring this geological wonder. You’ll want to explore both sides of the river, the north and south rims.
On the south side, hike from Uncle Tom’s Trail to Artist’s point, and back (in reverse, its a totally different hike). Or hike one-way, and catch a ride back to your car.
On this visit, Uncle Tom’s Trail was closed due to icy conditions which bummed us out sincerely.
The “trail” is a steep stairway, descending over 300 steps from the south rim, to a viewpoint directly in front of Lower Yellowstone Falls.
While we missed it this year due to the ice, here’s a picture of us on Uncle Tom’s Trail in 2010.
Uncle Tom’s Trail. Over 300 steps down
On the north side of the river, check out the viewpoints at Brink of Upper Falls, Upper Falls, and Brink of Lower Falls. All are clearly marked and offer parking.
Brink of the Lower Falls
On this visit, because Uncle Tom’s Trail was closed, and because Jana was nursing a freshly sprained ankle, we spent about a half-day. This gave us time to also visit Sulphur Caldron and Mud Volcano, which are fairly close.
Exploring the North Rim of the Grand Canyon
You can even spend multiple days within the canyon, if you have a backcountry permit. Yellowstone provides plenty of opportunity for back country access throughout the park.
We’re car campers and day hikers, only. We haven’t slowed down enough for backcountry hiking, yet. Maybe when the kids are older.
When that time comes, we may even get to come here. Into the back country along the Snake River in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
View upriver to Lower Falls
Leave a Reply