Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone - Part II

From Lookout Point, as I mentioned previously, we decided to hike down into the canyon a bit for a better view.  Well, truthfully I decided to hike down and Amy eventually agreed to tag along--though she wasn't too enthusiastic about the walk:

Lookout & Red Rock Points

View the canyon from several paved overlooks adjacent to the parking lot.  For a full view of Lower Falls, follow the trail that begins at the Lookout Point signs, bearing left at the fork.  Look in the canyon for osprey nests and signs of hot springs (wet, rust-colored rocks or steam).  The trail below you, Red Rock Trail, takes the hardy visitor close enough to feel the spray.  To reach this trail from the parking lot, bear right at the fork.  The trail includes many steps and drops 500 feet (150 m) in about 3/8 mile (0.6 km) and is not recommended for visitors with heart, lung, or other health conditions.  Red Rock Trail is closed in winter.
--from NPS Canyon Area Trail Guide

Yes, this is part of the trail.  Are you ready to head down?

It included several switchbacks.

We walked beside a stream flowing down towards the river far below.

But there was also a fun bridge.

The rocks and trees were pretty cool.

And the path kept going down.

This point far above was the observation point where we started hiking down.

And the view at the bottom was completely worth it.

We even took these two portraits.


The videos were even better from this view.  I just found an interesting factoid from the NPS website about this view:

Q. What causes the green stripe in the Lower Falls?
A. The green stripe is actually the natural color of the water. There is a notch in the lip of the falls where the stripe is, making the water deeper at that point and keeping the water from becoming turbulent as it goes over the edge. The color of the water is a function of the depth, the angle at which you are looking at it, and the amount of light at that point.

I was able to zoom in on the water much better, which you can see in this video that pans down from the top of the falls all the way to the bottom.  You can see that there is quite a bit of spray!

After this we faced the long hike back up to Lookout Point.  I did my best to stay with Amy though and hold her hand as we walked rather than leaving her behind as I sometimes do when I walk naturally faster than she does.

~Matt