Yellowstone #2 -- The Falls

Stage 2 -- Here we go.

We entered the park from the South entrance and drove up along this canyon toward Grant Village where we would be staying while in the park.

The canyon really is pretty amazing, but also probably the most bland thing we saw in the park. (You'll see what I mean soon enough!) We stopped at a small falls (well, small for the park) called Franklin Falls and my dad and I argued over whether this really was a falls or a cascade. (Does anyone know?) And then checked into our rooms at Grant, ate dinner, and heard a ranger talk (Thanks, Ranger Kevin!)

The next day was the "Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone" and the Upper and Lower Falls. Although there are literally hundreds of waterfalls in the park, if someone is talking about "the falls" this is what they are talking about. The falls are probably the second most popular thing in the park with Old Faithful being the first. We wanted to do a hike on the South Rim, but they had the trail closed off for remodeling some of the overlooks. How weird is it to remodel nature? Anyway, with that option now closed, we drove around to the North side to some of the more popular overlooks. First we went down to the brink of the Upper Falls (the smaller of the two.) The ground vibrates underneath you from the power of the water going by.
This is the falls from further down the river. You really don't realize just how far that water drops standing on top of it. (The point that sticks out on the right side of the falls is where the previous picture was taken.)
After the Upper Falls we went further down the river to the Upper Falls, the largest one in the park. These things are so amazing! You can hear them from miles away.
In order to get to some of these lookouts, you actually have to go down into the canyon a little ways. This is our resting spot on the way back out. Hi mom and dad!

My dad and I still wanted to get a hike in that day, so we decided to hike along the North rim. There is a creek that comes out between the falls, and on that creek there is a smaller waterfall. We decided we wanted to go see it. So we sent mom off with the car to the other end of the trail, and started out. Going down some switchbacks, my feet slid out from under me and I fell pretty hard. I think I must have tweeked my back out pretty good because I was in pain for two weeks! My tailbone still gets sore if I sit on it for too long. (This will be an important factor in a later hike!) Anyway, we got down to the creek where a little bridge crossed it and found this little falls. It was a cute little spot that made you want to go swimming, but we were kinda shocked they actually marked this falls on a Yellowstone map.

Then we turned the corner.

So the first one wasn't actully the falls, this one was further down. The hike was pretty short, but it was a lot of fun (pain and all). And we rewarded ourselves with a picnic lunch and ice cream from Canyon Village. That wasn't the end of our day, but I will tell you all about Artist Paintpots next time!