Tables and access
Seven picnic tables and one wheelchair-accessible vault toilet serve the site. A parking lot sits off the main road, and a short path at its north end descends toward the river.
Overview
About Gibbon Falls Picnic Area
Why stop
- Seven tables sit beside the Gibbon River.
Heads up
- Several tables are near a steep river embankment.
Map
Where it is
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Full mapPlan your stop
Before you go
Tables and access
5 active Yellowstone alerts
- ClosureBiscuit Basin closed after hydrothermal explosionBiscuit Basin’s parking lot, boardwalk, and Firehole River are closed to all travel.Official details
- ClosureMost Yellowstone roads close to regular vehicles November 1Most Yellowstone roads and the West, South, and East entrances are scheduled to close to regular vehicles November 1, 2026, as the park prepares for winter operations.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Yellowstone Tour Guide
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See the Yellowstone audio tourRecorded for this area
Gibbon Falls0:00 / 0:32
“You're coming up on Gibbon Falls, an easy waterfall stop without a long hike. I'd give it ten or fifteen minutes to follow the short paved paths and watch the river spread across the dark, sloping rock.”
Plays on the road 0.4 mi from Gibbon Falls Picnic Area in the Parkwolf Yellowstone Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
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- 243 audio storiesacross Yellowstone’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Wolf, Grizzly Bear, Bison, and 13 more
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“First time driving through a national park. We used the Yellowstone tour on grand loop Road and it’s just like having a tour guide in your car with you.”
Guide
More about Gibbon Falls Picnic Area
A riverside breakGibbon Falls Picnic Area is a small picnic area beside the Gibbon River, less than half a mile…
Gibbon Falls Picnic Area is a small picnic area beside the Gibbon River, less than half a mile downstream from Gibbon Falls. It is separate from the falls' roadside viewpoint, and makes more sense as a meal stop than another falls overlook.
Mind the steep bankSome tables are close to a steep river embankment.
Some tables are close to a steep river embankment. Take care around the edge, especially with small children; this is a riverside lunch stop where the bank can drop away quickly.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Yellowstone
713 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
743 sightingsWolfMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
5,273 sightingsBisonMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
3,258 sightingsElkMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
397 sightingsMooseMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
1,494 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Yellowstone. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
