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A short drive east of Madison Junction in Yellowstone National Park is Gibbon Falls. This waterfall along the Gibbon River in the UNESCO World Heritage listed park has an 84 foot cascade that flows into the Yellowstone Caldera. The falls are located about 4.7 miles upstream from the confluence of the Gibbon and Firehole Rivers.
History
William Henry Jackson described the falls during the second Hayden Geological Survey in 1872. It’s not clear how the falls got their name. They were beautiful described in The Yellowstone National Park-A Manual for Tourists by Henry Winser in 1883:
Falls of the Gibbon-These are situated four miles from the entrance to the canón, and are reached by a trail on the right of the road. The descent is quite steep, but the stalwart tourist wlll not regret the strain upon his muscles after a sight of the magnificent falls. The water tumbles over them in a foamy sheet, full eighty feet in depth, making a charming picture, full of life and vigor, which is in striking contrast to its setting or grim rocks and dusky pines. After leaving the falls and the foaming river, the road soon crosses Canón Creek, passing for the next eight miles over a succession of pine and fir clad terraces, the charms of which are apt to cloy, before the next attractive point is reached.
First Viewpoint
The parking lot for Gibbon Falls has a path that leads to a three viewpoints for different perspectives of the falls. The first viewpoint is almost right on top of them. Looking downriver towards the caldera is also a spectacular sight.
Second Viewpoint
The middle viewpoint, my favorite, affords the most unobstructed view of the falls.
Final Viewpoint
The final viewpoint looks directly at the face of the waterfall.
