Virginia Cascade, Norris, Sheepeater Cliff, and more of Yellowstone

Heading west and north through Yellowstone National Park from the Lower and Upper Falls of the Yellowstone River there are many beautiful things to see. When we passed through we were not able to  spend as much time as we would have liked but I'll share some of what we saw. Some of the things we saw are Virginia Cascade, Porcelain Basin at Norris Geyser Basin, Sheepeater Cliff and lovely scenery.

We first stopped by Virginia Cascade.

Virginia Cascade

To get to Virginia Cascasde you have to take a little oneway road. Campers and buses are not allowed on the road. Virginia Cascade is beautiful. One problem is getting a good photo of it. There are many trees in the way and there are not any parking places. The photo here is a panorama I took from a ways away. To get a good shot of the falls would require being high in the air in the middle of the canyon.

6 photo panorama - Virginia Cascade, Yellowstone National Park

Norris Geyser Basin

Porcelain Basin

We went to North Geyser Basin and only visited Porcelain Basin. We had a long way to travel and we had both gotten a bit of sun. There is a nice array of  color here. You do see a lot of white but there is cloudy glass-like-blue, green, orange, brown, grey and blue.

Scummy Pool, Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Green Cyanidium algae and orange cyanobacteria in the acidic waters of Porcelain Basin, Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Green Cyanidium algae and orange cyanobacteria in the acidic waters of Porcelain Basin, Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Colloidal Pool, Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Swiss Cheese Pool, Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Porcelain Springs and a small steaming geyser-like hole, Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Congress Pool, Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park.
This shows what some people think of Congress. No grander or action, rather it is a hole that sinks and does nothing.

Valley near Beaver Lake

The valley upstream from Beaver Lake is such a beautiful spot. The spot these photos are taken at is literally on the side of the road. I have a photo of this area during autumn which you can also see on my blog HERE. Now you can see the same location during the summer. Enjoy.

You will notice that many trees are bare and black. A fire is to blame but it also adds to the beauty of the landscape.

12 photo panorama - Valley near Beaver Lake, Yellowstone National Park

56 photo panorama - Valley near Beaver Lake, Yellowstone National Park

8 photo panorama - Valley near Beaver Lake, Yellowstone National Park

Creek in valley near Beaver Lake, Yellowstone National Park

Grass, stream, and trees in valley near Beaver Lake, Yellowstone National Park

Sheepeater Cliff

Gardner River

Sheepeater Cliff has a geological feature I love to see. Columnar Basalt. Columnar Basalt is a distinct feature. Some areas with this columnar feature are quite famous. Some of these are... the's Giant's Causeway in Ireland, at the Isle of Skye and the Isle of Skye in Scotland, Hexagon pool in the Golan Heights, throughout Iceland, Prismas Basálticos in Mexico, Devil's Postpile in California, Organ Pipes National Park in Austrailia, Akun Island in Alaska, and in many other places in the world. 

I will stop continuing the rant of places I want to see with columnar basalt features and get on with the photos.

Gardner River and Sheepeater Cliff, Yellowstone National Park

Gardner River and Sheepeater Cliff, Yellowstone National Park

Fly Fisherman in the Gardner River at Sheepeater Cliff, Yellowstone National Park

Gardner River and Sheepeater Cliff, Yellowstone National Park

8 photo panorama - Sheepeater Cliff, Yellowstone National Park

Sheepeater Cliff, Yellowstone National Park

Stone at the base of Sheepeater Cliff, Yellowstone National Park

Road south of Mammoth

South of Mammoth there is a waterfall on Glen Creek in Kingman Pass. The waterfall is nice but the whole pass is beautiful. Because of the lighting I did not take a photo of the falls but I did take a few of the pass.

Kingman Pass and Glen Creek, Grand Loop Road, Yellowstone National Park

Kingman Pass and Glen Creek, Grand Loop Road, Yellowstone National Park

Kingman Pass and Glen Creek, Grand Loop Road, Yellowstone National Park

Lower and Upper Falls of the Yellowstone River

The Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River are well worth the time to go and see. The Upper Falls are close the the Lower Falls, but the Lower Falls are more breathtaking. I have one image of the Upper Falls in this post and the rest are of the Lower Falls, the Yellowstone River, Uncle Tom's Trail, and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River.

There are a few vantage points from which you can see the Lower Falls. One is from down river where  one can see the falls, the river, and the canyon. It is quite impressive to see. You can drive close to this location and you do not have to walk much to get a good view. 

Another place you can get a good view of the Lower Falls is along Uncle Tom's Trail at the top of the canyon and down to Uncle Tom's Point. The trail does require walking, and if you go down to Uncle Tom's Point you will have to descend and climb quite a bit. Mae sure you are in shape to do it.

The third place is Uncle Tom's Point. From this place you get up close and personal with the Lower Falls. It descends below the the top of the falls and is close to it. If you are able to make the climb down and up the many stairs I would highly suggest doing it. If you want to go to this point but you want to cut out a bunch of hiking I would start from the east parking lot by the Upper Falls.

The fourth place is on the north side of the Falls right at the drop off of the Lower Falls. We did not go there but we got a good view of the people who where there.

The Upper Falls is quite nice. There is more greenery around it and you can see it from a few vantage points. We did not spend much time there because of the hiking we had done and because of the many photos I had taken of the Lower Falls.

All in all I highly suggest going to the Lower and Upper Falls when you visit Yellowstone National Park.

4 photo panorama - Lower Falls, Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park

My wife and I with the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River in the background

23 photo panorama - Lower Falls and Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park

Lower Falls and Yellowstone River, in the Grand Canyon of The Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park

Lower Falls and Yellowstone River, in the Grand Canyon of The Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park

Lower Falls and Yellowstone River, in the Grand Canyon of The Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone River in the Grand Canyon of The Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park

My wife and the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park

Me and the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park

The Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park

The Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park

The Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park

4 photo panorama - The Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park

5 photo panorama - The Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park

My wife and I (and mother people) at the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park

The Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park

The Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park

Stairs of Uncle Tom's Trail to the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park

Stairs of Uncle Tom's Trail to the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park

View of the Grand Canyon of The Yellowstone River from Uncle Tom's Trail to the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park

View of the the Yellowstone River from Uncle Tom's Trail to the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park

View of the the Yellowstone River from Uncle Tom's Trail to the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park

A section of Uncle Tom's Trail to the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park

View of the the Yellowstone River from Uncle Tom's Trail to the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park

View of the the Yellowstone River from Uncle Tom's Trail to the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park

4 photo panorama - The Upper Falls of the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park

Fishing Bridge, Yellowstone River, Yellowstone River Valley

It was a beautiful day for my first time down the Yellowstone River Valley. We started at Fishing Bridge and it was lovely. The bridge is fun to look at, and you can see some of the largest trout I have ever seen from it. Fishing is not allowed from the bridge, and for a mile downstream, but I would love to catch one of those prize trout! We could also see dust sized trout at the river's edge.

Some other things we saw along the Yellowstone River are LeHardy Rapids, The Mud Volcano Area, Sulphur Cauldron which has a PH of about 1, grassy valleys, forests, wildflowers, and hundreds of bison.

The biggest problem you might find is cars stopping for bison to cross the road or to take photos of them. There was one little hot pool in the Mud Volcano Area that was the worst smelling hot pool I have ever encountered! People think the egg smell of many hot pools and geysers is nasty but nothing compares to this one! I think it was sour lake and I did not want to linger to take a photo of it. But the area is beautiful and worth the drive at least. You can see these places if you take the road which travels between Yellowstone Lake and the Upper and Lower Falls on the Yellowstone River (and the Grand Canyon of The Yellowstone). If you love to fish or hike there is plenty of that to do as well.

Enjoy these photos of the Yellowstone River Valley.

Fishing Bridge, Yellowstone River

14 photo panorama - Fishing Bridge, Yellowstone River

People on Fishing Bridge, Yellowstone River

My wife near on shore near Fishing Bridge, Yellowstone River

11 photo panorama - From Fishing Bridge, Yellowstone River

4 photo panorama - Fishing Bridge, Yellowstone River 

My lovely wife on the Fishing Bridge, Yellowstone River

My lovely wife on the Fishing Bridge, Yellowstone River

16 photo panorama - LeHardys Rapids, Yellowstone River

7 photo panorama - LeHardys Rapids, Yellowstone River

Wildflowers near Mud Volcano, Yellowstone National Park

Mud Geyser (Mud Volcano Group) and Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park

Churning Caldron, Mud Volcano Group, Yellowstone National Park

Dragon's Mouth Spring, Mud Volcano Group, Yellowstone National Park

Sulfur Cauldron, Yellowstone National Park

8 photo panorama - Sulfur Cauldron and Yellowstone River area, Yellowstone National Park

Sulfur Cauldron, Yellowstone National Park

Sulfur Cauldron, Yellowstone National Park

Bison on hillside in Yellowstone River Valley, Yellowstone National Park

Western Fringed Gentian wildflower in Yellowstone River Valley

16 photo panorama - Yellowstone River Valley and Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park

Western Fringed Gentian wildflower in Yellowstone River Valley

11 photo panorama - Yellowstone River Valley and Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park

Western Fringed Gentians in Yellowstone River Valley

Western Fringed Gentians and Yellowstone River Valley, Yellowstone National Park

Bison Leading traffic in Yellowstone River Valley, Yellowstone National Park