Walking Brink of Upper Yellowstone Falls, WY

The Beta

This short paved walkway leads you to the pounding waterfall of the Yellowstone River. It’s one of the coolest sights you’ll see in Yellowstone, and a “must-see”, if you ask me! Short, quick walks and hikes dot the Canyons area of Yellowstone, and this is one of them! There are a few different viewpoints. All are worth the stop!

Quick Beta

• Mileage: 0.3 miles, paved.
• Elevation gain: 39 ft.
• Highest Point: 7,696 ft.
• Best time to visit: Late May through mid-October
• Total hiking time: 5 minutes
• Kid-friendly: Yes.
• Dog-friendly: Yes, must be on a leash.
• Gear I brought: My camera and tripod!

The Walk

This walk follows a paved walkway leading to some steps down to the main viewing platform. It’s short, and it’s worth the stop. You’ll get some outstanding views of the Yellowstone River as well as the top of Upper Falls. You can feel the roaring river under your feet as the water crashed down the riverbed and over the edge. It’s powerful!

Need to Know

This trail is paved the whole way. However, there are stairs to get down to the final viewing platform.

There are always lots of people walking on this pathway. Since we visited during the historic flooding over the July 4th holiday, there were few people. Still, be considerate of other people in the area!

Justin’s Story

Changing my suggestion to a story this week! When I got down to the viewing platform and noticed the lack of people, I decided to run back to the car real quick and grab my tripod and ND filter. I usually take long exposures of the night sky, so shooting rushing water was a bit of a new adventure for me. I shot a bunch of different shots, and so many of them turned out really well! It was nice to be able to get out and experiment with my camera in a way I normally would never. I’m thinking about adding more long exposure to my bag in the future!

Take A Walk!

If you like waterfalls, you’ll love trucking around Yellowstone. It’s full of them, considering it sits on the continental divide in multiple places. It has the most waterfalls of any national park!

More and more blogs are coming on Yellowstone – stay tuned for more hikes, walks, and hot springs! In the meantime, you can check out my lunchtime postcard and coffee postcard, as well as the natural bridge hike and LeHardys Rapids! The rapids are some of my favorite features in the entire park. I definitely recommend the short walk!

I’ll see you soon!

Parting shot:

Next blog: The lower falls trail.