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Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Canyon Village, WY

Photo: Erik Whalen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sport & OutdoorIconicOutdoor Adventure

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Artist Point, end of South Rim Drive, about 3 miles from Canyon Village · Canyon Village, WY

Why you should go…

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone runs roughly 20 miles from the Upper Falls to the Tower Fall area, cut by the Yellowstone River through rock colored largely by iron and sulfur. You can see the 308-foot Lower Falls from Lookout Point, Red Rock Point, Artist Point and the Brink of the Lower Falls Trail. The 109-foot Upper Falls sits just upstream. North Rim Drive and South Rim Drive link the overlooks, and the Canyon Visitor Education Center in Canyon Village has exhibits on the Yellowstone supervolcano.

  • #waterfall
  • #canyon
  • #yellowstone
  • #scenic overlook
  • #hiking

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Iconic

    Yellowstone Lake

    $25–$50

    Look out over North America's largest high-elevation lake, with geysers on its shore at West Thumb and trout below Fishing Bridge.

    18 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Iconic

    Mammoth Hot Springs

    $25–$50

    Walk boardwalks above steaming travertine terraces in Yellowstone, next to the red-roofed buildings of Fort Yellowstone.

    20 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Iconic

    Grand Prismatic Spring

    $25–$50

    Follow the boardwalk past Yellowstone's largest hot spring, a deep blue pool ringed in orange and yellow.

    22 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Roosevelt Arch

    Free

    Walk or drive under the 52-foot basalt gateway that has marked Yellowstone's North Entrance since 1903.

    24 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Old Faithful

    $25–$50

    Watch Yellowstone's signature geyser shoot water more than 100 feet high from the surrounding boardwalks.

    25 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Attractions
    Family Favorite

    Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center

    Under $25

    Nonprofit wildlife park near Yellowstone's west entrance, home to rescued grizzly bears, gray wolves and other native species.

    31 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions