Lower Yellowstone Falls is a 308-foot plunge waterfall on the Yellowstone River in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, where the river drops into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. The World Waterfall Database calls it one of the most powerful waterfalls in the United States, reflecting its height combined with the river's volume.
The falls
The river leaves the lip in a single veiling plunge about 150 feet wide. Official measurements list the drop at 308 feet, though one-meter lidar indicates it is closer to 295 feet. A notch at the lip channels deeper, less aerated water, which shows as a green stripe in the falling curtain. Below, the canyon is cut into volcanic rock, including rhyolite, weakened by hydrothermal activity. The large Yellowstone basin keeps the falls running all year, carrying roughly 2,485 cubic feet per second in the high-flow months and about 800 in the low ones.
Getting there
The Brink of the Lower Falls Trail starts in the Canyon Village area on North Rim Drive. The route is a 0.7-mile out-and-back that descends about 600 feet in 0.4 mile, all of which has to be climbed on the return walk; the trail is extremely steep and is not recommended for visitors with heart, lung, or other health conditions. Distant views of the falls are available near the parking areas. There is no separate activity fee.
Yellowstone admission is $35 per vehicle for seven days, $30 per motorcycle and $20 per person on foot or bicycle, plus $100 per person for non-US residents aged 16 and older unless they hold an Annual or America the Beautiful Pass. Vehicle reservations are not required. Park conditions reports from September 23, 2026, list the Canyon Rim Trails as open.
When to go
The brink trail is open in summer and fall and closes in winter. Because of the river's size, the falls carry substantial water in every month. On sunny days a rainbow forms in the spray below the falls, and comparing viewpoints highlights changing light and weather through the day.
On site
Prominent viewpoints include the Brink of the Lower Falls, Lookout Point and Artist Point, each offering a different angle on the falls; the brink puts visitors right beside the lip, and a short spur at the start of that trail looks at the Upper Falls. Off-trail travel is prohibited throughout the Canyon area. Dogs are not allowed on the brink trail.
Nearby
Crystal Falls, on Cascade Creek, is about 0.3 mile away, Upper Yellowstone Falls upstream on the same river about 0.4 mile, Red Rock Cascade about 0.4 mile and Silver Cord Cascade across the canyon about 2.3 miles.
Distances are straight-line.