Inspiration Point

Inspiration Point is a North Rim overlook above the Yellowstone River, reached from the one-way North Rim Drive. A short paved walk from the parking area leads to a projecting rim with a broad view up and down the canyon; Lower Falls appears in the distance. Come for the sweep of the river and the colored walls, not a close-up of the waterfall. If you want to stand near the brink, make time for the separate Brink of the Lower Falls stop.

Several paved viewpoints give you different angles. The edges are open, so keep children close and stay on the walkway.

The canyon is much younger than Yellowstone's great caldera. The National Park Service dates its oldest rock and sediment canyon to roughly 160,000 to 140,000 years ago, after the caldera-forming eruption about 630,000 years ago. Hot groundwater altered and weakened the rhyolite; the river then cut through it, leaving the orange, brown, and green bands in the walls.

Lower Falls drops 308 feet. From here it is part of the wider canyon scene, while the Brink viewpoint gives a much closer look at the water.

Osprey nest on pinnacles in the canyon near Canyon Village. The park reports six to ten nests in that area; birds arrive in spring and usually leave by September. Look for them circling above the river or perched on the rocky walls, especially through summer.

North Rim Drive is one-way, so fit this viewpoint into your drive with the other North Rim stops rather than planning to double back. Visitor accounts describe a short paved approach from the parking area. Food and potable water were not confirmed at the overlook, so bring what you need for the drive.

For a photo, use a wide frame and keep the river in view. Its bend gives the canyon scale and leads the eye toward the distant falls.