Parking
Start at the Brink of the Lower Falls parking area on North Rim Drive. The trail begins beside the lot; nearby overlooks offer a distant view without descending.
Overview
About Brink of the Lower Falls Trail
Why go
- A close view of Lower Falls and the canyon from the brink.
- Short route with both a close waterfall view and easier rim overlooks nearby.
Heads up
- Steep, narrow switchbacks and many steps make the return climb strenuous.
- The close brink view can hide the full drop of the waterfall.
Brink of the Lower Falls Trail is a 0.7-mile out-and-back from North Rim Drive to a viewing platform close to the top of Lower Falls. It is a short walk with a big payoff, but the mileage hides the work: the path drops steeply by switchbacks, then makes you climb the same way back. Give it about an hour, especially if you expect to stop and catch your breath. The park advises visitors with heart, lung, or other health conditions not to take this trail. If you want a look without the climb, the overlooks beside the parking area give you a more distant view.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Yellowstone map
Full mapElevation7,536–7,762 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
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
Hear Yellowstone as you drive it.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Yellowstone National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Yellowstone audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Brink of the Lower Falls0:00 / 0:24
“You're nearing the Brink of the Lower Falls, where a steep walk puts you beside the river as it pours over the edge.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Yellowstone Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Brink of the Upper Falls
- Upper Falls Viewpoints and Clear Lake
- Lookout Point and Grand View
- Chittenden Bridge and South Rim Trail
- 243 audio storiesacross Yellowstone’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Wolf, Grizzly Bear, Bison, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 167 trails, 192 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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.”
Trail guide
Hiking Brink of the Lower Falls Trail
Take the short spur, then pace the climbA brief spur at the start looks toward Upper Falls. The main trail then descends about 0.
A brief spur at the start looks toward Upper Falls. The main trail then descends about 0.4 mile toward Lower Falls. Expect a narrow route with many steps and tight switchbacks. Hikers mention benches along the way, useful places to pause on the return. Secure footwear helps on the stepped path, and a steady pace matters more than trying to get down quickly: you have to climb back to the road after reaching the brink.
At the brinkThe lower platform puts you close to the lip where the Yellowstone River pours over Lower Falls.
The lower platform puts you close to the lip where the Yellowstone River pours over Lower Falls. The waterfall is 308 feet high, and from here you can look along the canyon in both directions and feel how much water is moving. The close angle has a tradeoff: it can be hard to take in the full drop at once. For a wider view of the falls, stop at one of the overlooks beside the parking lot before or after the hike. Visitors sometimes report rainbows in the spray.
How the canyon got its colorsMuch of the canyon is rhyolite, a volcanic rock weakened by hot groundwater moving through it.
Much of the canyon is rhyolite, a volcanic rock weakened by hot groundwater moving through it. The Yellowstone River then eroded that softer rock into the canyon you see from the trail. Orange, brown, and green areas near the river can mark active hydrothermal features. Water, wind, and earthquakes keep changing the walls. Lower Falls may hold its height because the river crosses more erosion-resistant volcanic rock before reaching weaker, altered rock downstream.
Water in motionThe park reports seasonal flow ranging from about 5,000 to 60,000 gallons per second over the…
The park reports seasonal flow ranging from about 5,000 to 60,000 gallons per second over the falls. The sound, spray, and amount of water can feel different across the season, which is part of why the brink holds attention even though the route is short. Look upstream and downstream as well as straight at the lip; the canyon is part of the view, and the close platform is only one way to see it.
Access and rulesStart at the Brink of the Lower Falls parking area along North Rim Drive in the Canyon Village…
Start at the Brink of the Lower Falls parking area along North Rim Drive in the Canyon Village area. There is no separate activity fee or reservation, though park entrance fees may apply. The trail is typically a summer and fall walk and closes in winter. Pets are not allowed.
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.
