Brink of Lower Falls to Lower Lookout Point

The Brink of Lower Falls and Lower Lookout Point are incredible places to take in the views of the mighty Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River in Yellowstone National Park. Connected by the North Rim Trail, it is worth staying parked and walking between these two famous lookout points. The crowds are serious: Tour busses drop off hikers by the hundreds throughout the day, but the views are worth it.

The Brink of Lower Falls is a lookout situated just above the 308-foot waterfall. Lower Falls is the largest volume waterfall in the Rocky Mountains. Watching the water Cascade over the ledge is a unique experience, often causing vertigo for visitors. Furthermore, the sound of the falls is equally as impressive and can be heard from miles away in the canyon area. Views of Upper Falls are also impressive while hiking down the trail toward the Brink of Lower Falls. Upper Falls dumps into a shallow pool that projects water back into the air at an impressive height upon impact.

Further east down the North Rim Trail is Lower Lookout Point. Lower Lookout Point offers magnificent views of the canyon and the falls. Red Lookout Point, near Lookout Point, will take you even lower into the canyon and offer yet another vantage point to appreciate the Lower Falls and the canyon. Birds of prey can often be observed in their nests, which are perched on top of eroded spires within the canyon walls. While the falls are the main attraction, don't forget to take in the impressive views all around you. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is an impressive geological site. The various colors that grace the canyon walls are the result of hydrothermal alterations created when the canyon was part of an active geyser basin. Today the iron-rich compounds in the rocks are oxidizing, which creates the incredible color palate that the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is so famous for.