Lewis Falls is a 26-foot cascade on the Lewis River in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, a short distance below Lewis Lake, where the river breaks over a ledge the full width of its channel. It sits beside the South Entrance Road, about halfway between the park's South Entrance and Grant Village, and can be seen from the road.
The falls
The river spreads into a wide, steep cascade about a mile downstream of Lewis Lake, just above the highway bridge. Lidar measurements indicate the drop is 26 feet, though earlier surveys listed 37 feet and other accounts give 30 feet. What the falls lack in height they make up in width, spanning the whole river.
Getting there
The falls are on the South Entrance Road in Teton County, with a pullout and parking area nearby. A short walk from the parking area up the south bank reaches a fenced overlook. The Park Service has been replacing the Lewis River bridge with a new span downstream of the old one, a project designed to add accessible parking and a viewing area for the falls, with an estimated project schedule of 2025.
Yellowstone admission is $35 per private vehicle for seven days, plus $100 per person for non-US residents aged 16 and older unless they hold an Annual or America the Beautiful Pass.
When to go
Spring snowmelt swells the river.
On site
The fenced overlook is the main established viewpoint; informal paths continue past it toward the brink. Anglers fish the river below the falls for about 2 miles downstream, until it enters a canyon. Pets are not allowed on park trails and must stay on a leash no longer than six feet in developed roadside areas.
History and name
The Hayden survey explored the area in 1872. Surveyor Frank Bradley named the falls after Meriwether Lewis during that expedition.
Nearby
Confirmation Falls on Suspicion Creek is about 1.4 miles away. On the Lewis River, Upper Lewis Canyon Falls is about 3 miles away and Lewis Canyon Lower Falls about 3.4 miles.
Distances are straight-line.