Yellowstone National Park Has Its Own Grand Canyon And It's A Breathtaking Rocky Attraction

The first images that come to mind when thinking of Yellowstone National Park likely involve its famous kaleidoscopic hot springs and geysers. These have been geologic marvels for centuries and definitely helped Yellowstone become the first-ever national park in the United States. But further inside the park's borders, you'll find the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. This 1,000-foot-deep formation is also an essential thing to see even if you only have one day in Yellowstone. If that doesn't have you convinced, U.S. News and World Report declared it as the No. 1 thing to do in the park.

Instead of the red rock desert surroundings of the Grand Canyon in Arizona, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone shows off the natural features of the American Northwest. From all of the viewpoints, you'll see tons of pine trees and vibrant, rushing water. However, the highlights of this canyon are its two huge waterfalls, simply named Upper Falls and Lower Falls. While it seems that Yellowstone National Park is on everyone's bucket list, there are plenty of canyon and waterfall experiences to go around with varying levels of difficulty.

Centuries of erosion from Yellowstone's hot water sources and the Yellowstone River are all responsible for carving the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. To see this extensive geology on full display, check out Brink of the Lower Falls. This viewing area is accessible from North Rim Drive. There is a paved trail that winds its way from the parking lot to the viewpoint, which puts you right on the edge of the waterfall as thousands of gallons tumble over the 308-foot drop (double the height of Niagara Falls). At Brink of the Lower Falls you can see just how massive, winding, and colorful the canyon really is and perhaps see a rainbow through the mist. 

Park visitors have marveled at the canyon and Lower Falls at Lookout Point since the park's inception. Lookout Point is also near North Rim Drive. The trail from this road takes you to Lookout Point, but you can keep going to Red Rock Point as well. More of the waterfall is visible from Red Rock Point, but keep in mind that the trail between Lookout and Red Rock gets fairly steep.

To see the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone with the 109-foot Upper Falls, take South Rim Drive to Upper Falls View. As with stops at the Lower Falls, Upper Falls View also has a parking lot. For a bit of woodsy walking incorporated into your Upper Falls visit, park and walk to Brink of the Upper Falls, a short but sweet hike that's just a quarter of a mile round trip. The loud river rushing just feet away when you reach the end of this short trail makes for quite a memorable sensory experience.

The parking lot for Upper Falls View meets with the Ribbon Lake Trail. This hiking trail takes three to four hours to complete, but features lakes, towering pine trees, and a more untouched look at Yellowstone's grandeur near the canyon, and Ribbon Lake serves as the grand finale. You can return along the same route or take the route that features more canyon views at Artist Point and Point Sublime. However, if you're crunched for time or not keen on taking a long hike, the often-photographed Artist Point is accessible by car as well.