South Rim Trail

Overview

This rim walk dishes up the postcard views of Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon: pastel canyon walls, the roaring Yellowstone River, and the thunder of both Upper and Lower Falls. It’s popular for good reason. The standard outing runs the rim past marquee overlooks like Artist Point, with the option to continue to Point Sublime or make a loop through meadows and bubbling thermal features for variety.

Distances and Options

You’ve got flexible ways to do this:

• Short segment to Artist Point: about 2.7 miles total (out-and-back), roughly 295 feet of gain. Great if you’re short on time and mainly want the classic Lower Falls view.
• Extended rim to Point Sublime: about 6.9 miles total (out-and-back), roughly 800–900 feet of gain and loss. Views become more intermittent beyond Artist Point, and Point Sublime itself can feel underwhelming due to trees.
• Loop variation: combine the South Rim with Clear Lake–Ribbon Lake and the Wapiti Lake Trail corridor for ~7.25 miles and roughly 1,500 feet of gain. This trades some canyon time for meadows, small lakes, and a pocket thermal basin (Forest Springs).

Highlights

• Repeated looks into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, where mineral-rich walls glow red, white, and yellow.
• Close-up perspectives of Upper Falls and the iconic Lower Falls vista from Artist Point. Crowds are thick here, but they thin dramatically once you walk past Artist Point.
• Optional detours to geothermal meadows near Clear Lake (watch for steaming vents and mud pots) and quiet lakeside stretches toward Ribbon Lake.

Logistics and Parking

Common starts include the Wapiti Lake parking area on South Rim Drive (east of Chittenden Bridge) for the main South Rim corridor, or the Artist Point lot if you want instant payoff with minimal hiking. There are additional access points near the Upper Falls area. Lots can fill by late morning; arrive early for easier parking and calmer viewpoints. Restrooms are available at the main lots.

Difficulty and Safety

Overall, this is an easy-to-moderate hike depending on how much you do. Sections are narrow with unfenced exposure and actively eroding cliffs—keep kids close and stay well back from edges. Expect short, sometimes steep ups and downs and occasional loose footing. Uncle Tom’s Trail, a steep stairway dropping about 350 feet toward the Lower Falls, is a memorable add-on when open, but it has been closed at times—check status day-of.

Wildlife and Trail Etiquette

This corridor is popular for birding, and bison are occasionally seen in nearby meadows. Carry bear spray and know how to use it. In bug season, repellent is a good idea. No dogs are allowed on this trail.

Best Time to Hike

May through October is the prime window, with facilities and roads open and trails generally clear. For photography and fewer people, start at sunrise or come late in the day; midday brings the heaviest crowds and parking crunch. If you want the views with fewer elbows, walk beyond Artist Point or include the loop through Clear Lake and Ribbon Lake.

Bottom Line

If you want the definitive Yellowstone canyon-and-falls experience, this is it. Do the short Artist Point segment for the greatest-hits lap, or go longer for quieter rim miles and a bonus sampler of thermal meadows and lakes.