Yellowstone River Falls

The Yellowstone River and the canyon are absolutely beautiful. Believe it or not that river starts near Yellowstone. The continental divide goes through Yellowstone so the Yellowstone River eventually runs into the Missouri River, the Mississippi River, and into the Gulf.

The Yellowstone River actually starts just southeast of the park in Wyoming's Absaroka Range (on Younts Peak, where the North and South Forks converge), right along the Continental Divide. It then flows north into Yellowstone National Park, through Yellowstone Lake, over the famous Upper and Lower Falls in the Grand Canyon section (which is where the park and river get their name from the yellowish rock), and continues northeast out of the park through Montana. It's the longest undammed (free-flowing) river in the lower 48 states, stretching about 671 miles before joining the Missouri River in North Dakota. From there, the Missouri flows into the Mississippi River, and eventually that water reaches the Gulf.

The Lower Falls drop an impressive 308 feet—almost twice the height of Niagara Falls—and the views from spots like Artist Point or the Brink of the Lower Falls trail really capture that raw power. Have you hiked down to the base or any of the overlooks? Or got any favorite spots along the river in the park?