Artist Point

Artist Point is a south-rim overlook into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, with the Lower Falls dropping into the canyon below. If you have time for one stop on this rim, this is the view to choose: waterfall, river and the canyon's colored walls come together from the overlook. The canyon runs about 20 miles and is more than 1,000 feet deep; the Lower Falls alone drops 308 feet. The river in the frame is what makes the scale land.

The large parking area sits beside South Rim Drive, and a short paved walk leads to the viewing area. Accessible parking and walkways provide views at Artist Point; some additional viewpoints may involve steps. Vault toilets are at the western end of the lot. The lot is often busy in peak summer, so arriving earlier can make the stop easier. Pets are not allowed on the trail.

If you want to keep walking, the 2.6-mile Artist Point–Point Sublime route goes out and back east along the south rim. That is a real canyon walk beyond the brief overlook visit, not a longer way to reach the main view.

The Yellowstone River has both the Upper and Lower Falls, but the canyon bends between them; there is no single viewpoint where both falls appear together. Artist Point looks toward the Lower Falls, the taller of the two at 308 feet. The Upper Falls is 109 feet high and is seen from other viewpoints.

The canyon is the work of volcanic rock, hot water and the Yellowstone River. After the caldera eruption about 640,000 years ago, lava and volcanic tuff buried this area. Hydrothermal water and gases weakened the rock, and the river cut into it, exposing the deep, vividly colored walls you see from the rim.

Thomas Moran's sketches and paintings of Yellowstone helped bring public and congressional attention to the region. In 1872, Congress paid him $10,000 for an oil painting of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone; that same year, it set aside no money for the new park. The paintings helped people far from Wyoming picture why this landscape merited protection.

For a photo, keep the Lower Falls framed by the canyon walls and leave some river visible below it. A tight crop makes the waterfall the whole story; the river and steep walls show how far it drops into the gorge. Walk along the established viewpoints for a different angle, and use the accessible paved walkways for the views they offer.