Yellowstone Natl Park - Day 3 - Sept 18

After a hearty breakfast, we loaded all our gear and headed toward the Roosevelt gate and Yellowstone NP. As there was snow the night before we where not sure what roads would be open and what areas of the park we would be able to visit. As it turned out, the southern end of the park was closed - but we could get to our destination for the day - the Canyon Village VC and Falls area.

Canyon Village and surrounding Guide

During the drive to the Canyon Village area, we saw many more Buffalo, a few Pronghorns and several Elk. However our goal for the day was to see the Falls near Artists Point and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. After a stop at the Visitors Center, we proceeded to the access road leading to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Arriving at the parking area around 2pm (it was a 3 hour drive from the house rental)..we found a luckily parking spot (I cannot imagine what this is like in the summer - there where cars, bus, rv's and people everywhere). After parking we proceeded along the trail to view the Falls and canyon. 

As you can see the falls are spectacular. We enjoyed the view, but as clouds where rolling in and snow was beginning to fall...we decided to start our return journey - as only the one road was open and could close at anytime..we would be stuck on the wrong end of the park. 

It was an uneventful return trip and we arrived back at our rental around 6pm for a BBQ dinner and to plan the next days activites.

Attached is a short write up on the Falls

Way back in 1870, a member of the Washburn party, Mr. N.P. Langford described the Lower Falls of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone in this way: “A grander scene than the lower cataract of the Yellowstone was never witnessed by mortal eyes.” That’s a more poetic way to say that the Lower Falls are a must-stop spot on any tour of Yellowstone National Park.

At 308 feet, the Lower Falls is the tallest waterfall in the park. In terms of height alone, it’s more than twice the size of Niagara Falls. The amount of water flowing over the falls varies greatly depending on the season. At peak runoff times in the spring, 63,500 gal/sec flow over the falls, whereas at lower runoff times in the fall, the flow diminishes to 5,000 gal/sec.

You can see them up close by visiting the platform at the Brink of the Lower Falls. Other spots to catch a glimpse of the falls include Red Rock Point, Artist Point, Brink of the Lower Falls Trail, Uncle Tom's Trail, and at various points along the South Rim Trail.

Not all that wander are lost