Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone sits in the northwest corner of Wyoming, spilling into Montana and Idaho — established by an act of the 42nd Congress and signed by President Grant on March 1, 1872, making it the first national park in the United States and widely considered the first in the world. More than half of the world's geysers and hydrothermal features are concentrated here, powered by a still-active volcano beneath the surface; Old Faithful is the most famous. The park spans roughly 3,472 square miles (8,983 km²) above the largest supervolcano caldera in North America, home to grizzly bears, mountain lions, wolves, and free-roaming bison and elk herds. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. Step inside and look closely — from river-carved canyon walls painted in vivid yellows and reds to pools rolling at a boil, every corner rewards a closer look.
United States · 56 The overlooked corners inside
The overlooked corners inside
Yellowstone Lake
Standing on the shore, it's hard to grasp how high you actually are: at 7,732 feet (2,357 m) above sea level, Yellowstone Lake is the largest freshwater lake above 7,000 feet in North America. It covers 136 square miles with 110 miles of shoreline, making it the largest water body in Yellowstone and in Wyoming. The deepest point reaches at least 394 feet, though the average depth is only 139 feet. And the story doesn't stop at the surface — the lake basin itself is a corner of the caldera left by a massive eruption 640,000 years ago.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Yellowstone Volcano
The entire plateau you're standing on is the volcano itself. The Yellowstone Caldera — also called the Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field — spans Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana, composed of four overlapping calderas, multiple lava domes, and volcanic crater lakes, with an original extent of roughly 6,500 square miles (17,000 km²). It is driven by the Yellowstone hotspot, beneath which sits an immense magma reservoir. The caldera visible today collapsed in the most recent supereruption, 640,000 years ago — but reading it fully requires stretching the time scale to millions of years.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Yellowstone Geothermal Areas
Yellowstone's hydrothermal landscape extends far beyond Old Faithful. Beneath the entire park lies a complete hydrothermal system with an estimated 10,000 geothermal features — geysers, hot springs, mudpots, and fumaroles. A 2011 survey recorded 1,283 geysers that have erupted at some point, with an average of 465 active in any given year. These features are distributed across nine geyser basins: Upper Geyser Basin has 410, Lower Geyser Basin 283, and Norris Geyser Basin 193. Most basins occupy flat valleys between ancient lava flows and glacial moraines, where rain and snowmelt percolate downward, are indirectly heated by the Yellowstone hotspot, and return to the surface as geysers, hot springs, or fumaroles. The higher elevation means the average boiling point across the basins is only 199°F (93°C), but vent water temperatures can still reach 204°F (95.5°C) — hot enough to kill.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Devil's Den
Devil's Den sits right beside the Tower Fall overlook — a cluster of jagged volcanic breccia pinnacles framing the top of the waterfall, and the very reason the falls got their name. When the Washburn Expedition passed through in 1870, explorers saw these spires looming over the falls like the ramparts of a demonic fortress and named the waterfall 'Tower.' The pinnacles are made of volcanic breccia more resistant to erosion than the surrounding rock, so as Tower Creek carved its channel over tens of thousands of years they were left standing as isolated columns. From the overlook, tilt your head back: these dark spires hang directly above the spray of a 132-foot (40 m) drop, forming a natural frame unlike anything else in the park.
Sources: yellowstonepark.com · en.wikipedia.org
Morning Glory Pool
Morning Glory Pool is a hot spring in the Upper Geyser Basin celebrated for its vivid colors — produced by heat-loving bacteria colonizing the water at different temperatures. In 1883, Assistant Superintendent E. N. McGowan's wife gave the spring its first name, 'Convolutus,' after the morning glory flower (genus Convolvulus) whose shape the pool resembles; by 1889 the name 'Morning Glory Pool' had become standard throughout the park. Occasionally, after an earthquake or a nearby hydrothermal disturbance, Morning Glory erupts as a geyser — but such events are extremely rare.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Kepler Cascades
Kepler Cascades is a series of stair-step falls on the Firehole River, dropping a total of… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Fairy Falls
Fairy Falls is one of the tallest accessible waterfalls in Yellowstone, a slender curtain… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: nps.gov · nps.gov
Upper Falls of the Yellowstone
The Upper Falls of the Yellowstone River drops 109 feet (33 m) at the very head of the Gra… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: wikidata.org · nps.gov
Lower Falls of the Yellowstone
The Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River is the park's tallest waterfall, plunging 308 fee… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: wikidata.org · nps.gov
Artist Point
Artist Point is a viewpoint on the South Rim cliff above the Grand Canyon of the Yellowsto… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Inspiration Point
Inspiration Point is a promontory on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Grand View
Grand View is a roadside overlook along the North Rim Drive above the Grand Canyon of the… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: nps.gov
Mystic Falls
Mystic Falls is a stepped waterfall on the Little Firehole River (a tributary of the Fireh… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Excelsior Geyser
Excelsior Geyser Crater — originally named Excelsior Geyser — is a dormant geyser in the M… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Petrified Tree
The Petrified Tree is the most accessible example of fossil wood in Yellowstone's Tower–Ro… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: wereintherockies.com · app.advcollective.com
Tower Fall Overlook
Tower Fall Overlook is right beside the Tower Fall parking area — no trail needed. From th… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · yellowstone.net
Osprey Falls
Osprey Falls is a waterfall on the Gardner River, dropping roughly 150 feet (46 m) inside… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Gibbon Falls
Gibbon Falls drops 84 feet (25.6 m) across the rim of the Yellowstone supervolcano's calde… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: nps.gov
Artists' Paintpots
Artists' Paintpots is a hydrothermal area in the Gibbon Geyser Basin south of Norris, know… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: nps.gov
Natural Bridge
Yellowstone's Natural Bridge is a stone arch at 7,983 feet (2,433 m) elevation, about a mi… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
LeHardy Rapids
LeHardy Rapids sits on the Yellowstone River, the longest undammed river in the contiguous… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: nps.gov
Old Faithful
Old Faithful is a cone geyser in the Upper Geyser Basin and the first geyser in the park t… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Beehive Geyser
Beehive Geyser is a geyser in the Upper Geyser Basin whose roughly 4-foot (1.2 m) cone loo… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Steamboat Geyser
Steamboat Geyser in the Norris Geyser Basin is the world's tallest active geyser. It has t… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Brink of the Upper Falls Viewpoint
The Brink of the Upper Falls overlook hugs the very top of the Upper Falls of the Yellowst… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: wikidata.org · nps.gov
Canyon Lookout Point
Lookout Point is the anchor stop for viewing the Lower Falls from the North Rim, facing th… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: nps.gov · hikespeak.com
Brink of the Lower Falls
The Brink of the Lower Falls is the most immersive of Yellowstone canyon's viewpoints — a… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: nps.gov
Wraith Falls
Wraith Falls sits about half a mile east of the Lava Creek Picnic Area in Yellowstone's no… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: nps.gov
Undine Falls Viewpoint
The Undine Falls Viewpoint is right beside the road, requiring little more than stepping o… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: nps.gov · yellowstone.net
Midway Geyser Basin
Midway Geyser Basin is one of Yellowstone's most concentrated hydrothermal areas, dominate… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: yellowstonepark.com
Point Sublime
Point Sublime is the farthest viewpoint on the South Rim Trail — about 3 miles round trip… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: hikespeak.com · americansouthwest.net
Roaring Mountain
Roaring Mountain is a dense cluster of fumaroles on a rhyolite hillside about 5 miles nort… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: usgs.gov · lpi.usra.edu
Red Rock Point
Red Rock Point is the North Rim's closest complete view of the Lower Falls — a trail desce… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: hikespeak.com
Upper Falls View
Upper Falls View is along the South Rim Drive, about 0.6 miles round trip with roughly 70… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: roadsidesecrets.com · earthtrekkers.com
Fountain Paint Pot Area
The Fountain Paint Pot area in the northern section of the Lower Geyser Basin is one of th… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: nps.gov · en.wikipedia.org
Lewis Falls
Lewis Falls is on the Lewis River in the southern part of Yellowstone, just south of Lewis… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Lake Butte Overlook
Lake Butte Overlook is a drive-up viewpoint on a hill east of Yellowstone Lake, reached vi… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: yellowstoneexplored.com
Mount Haynes Overlook
Mount Haynes Overlook looks out over the Madison River valley, facing 8,218-foot (2,505 m)… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · yellowstoneexplored.com
Tower Fall
Tower Fall is a waterfall on Tower Creek, about 0.6 miles upstream from where the creek me… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Silver Cord Cascade
Silver Cord Cascade drops from Surface Creek on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon of the Y… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · world-of-waterfalls.com
Sunbeam
Sunbeam is a viewpoint along the North Rim Drive of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, s… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: nps.gov
Grandview Point
Grandview Point is the easternmost major overlook on the North Rim Drive above the Grand C… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: nps.gov · earthtrekkers.com
Biscuit Basin
Biscuit Basin is a hydrothermal area within the Upper Geyser Basin. In July 2024, a hydrot… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
LeHardy Rapids Viewpoint
This viewpoint beside LeHardy Rapids is one of the best fixed spots for watching Yellowsto… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: nps.gov
Pumice Point
Pumice Point is a spot on the western shore of Yellowstone Lake known for its dark sand be… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: naturalatlas.com
West Thumb Geyser Basin
West Thumb Geyser Basin sits on the southwestern shore of Yellowstone Lake and is one of t… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: nps.gov · usgs.gov
Sheepeater Cliff
Sheepeater Cliff is a basalt column formation — the rock formed roughly 500,000 years ago… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: nps.gov · usgs.gov
Calcite Springs
Calcite Springs is a cluster of hydrothermal vents in the narrowest section of the Grand C… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: nps.gov
Crystal Falls Overlook
The Crystal Falls overlook looks down at where Cascade Creek drops into the Grand Canyon o… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: yellowstonetreasures.com · world-of-waterfalls.com
Observation Point
Observation Point is a hilltop viewpoint about 200 feet (60 m) above Old Faithful and roug… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: nps.gov
Glacier Boulder
The Glacier Boulder is a block of Precambrian gneiss resting near Inspiration Point on the… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: usgs.gov · sciencebase.gov
Canyon Horse Corral
Canyon Horse Corral is the park concession's horseback riding operation at Canyon Village… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: yellowstonenationalparklodges.com
Washburn Hot Springs Overlook
Washburn Hot Springs Overlook sits below the Mount Washburn ridgeline and provides a conve… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: evendo.com
Norris Geyser Basin
Norris Geyser Basin is the hottest and most geologically dynamic geyser basin in Yellowsto… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Firehole Swimming Area
The Firehole Swimming Area is one of Yellowstone's few designated natural swimming spots… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: nps.gov
Mud Volcano Area
The Mud Volcano area lies north of Yellowstone Lake, inside the caldera — one of the park'… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: yellowstonepoi.com · nps.gov
FAQ
What overlooked corners are worth seeing inside Yellowstone National Park?
Yellowstone Lake, Yellowstone Volcano, Yellowstone Geothermal Areas and more — 56 spots in all, each with sources and a guide in your language to read or listen to on the spot.
Is the Yellowstone National Park guide free?
The first 5 spots are free to read; the other 51 unlock with a one-time purchase (not a subscription).