Friday, September 14, 2012

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

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Lower Fall from Red Rock Point, Grand Canyon of The Yellowstone River
(can you see the people at the brink of the waterfall?)
In my previous post, I shared about Gibbon Falls, which is a beautiful roadside waterfall in Yellowstone National Park. In this post, I will be featuring two of the more popular waterfalls in Yellowstone, the Upper Falls and Lower Falls which sit at the head of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River.

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone from the Brink of Lower Fall
The Lower Falls of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone River is probably the most popular waterfall in Yellowstone National Park. The two waterfalls in this area is a bonus, since the canyon is already a beautiful natural wonder to behold. The history of the canyon started  about 600,000 years ago, when a huge volcanic eruption occurred here in Yellowstone. The multi-colored rocks of the canyon walls you can see in the first picture above are evidence of the the hydrothermally altered rhyolite. 
Upper Fall from the trail to the Brink of the Lower Falls
Unlike my shots of Gibbon Falls, all my waterfall shots here at Grand Canyon of The Yellowstone were taken at fast shutter speed. For two main reasons:
1. The waterfall is so powerful, I wanted to show its amazing power by freezing the action (using fast shutter speed), and not hiding the motion by blurring the flow. Unlike Gibbon Falls where the flow is less and not very powerful, both Lower Falls and Upper Falls are so powerful the sound of the roaring water can be so overwhelming.
2. Unlike Gibbon Falls where we did not have to take a long walk to take pictures, here, we had to take a steep hike. Though the hike was not that long, but we did not know we had to descend and therefore ascend on the way back two times for the two points, going down more than 600 ft in about half a mile each time. Not knowing the trail descriptions ( my fault, I did not research), I had 2 lenses in my backpack, where the other one is for wildlife! A lens for wildlife means it is a zooming lens,which weighs more than my camera and landscape lens combined! With so much weight in my pack, and going down and up on steep slopes, frankly, I did not have the motivation to use slow shutter speed anymore! :(
Brink of the Lower Fall
In the first picture above, of the Lower Falls from the Red Rock Point, you can tell how small the people were compared to the falls. The Lower Falls is 308 ft, and is the tallest waterfall in Yellowstone National Park. Though we could not see the full waterfall from the Brink, but let me say this is the spot where I love experiencing the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone the most. You will be standing right next to where the waterfall drops, and the sound is just so awe-inspiring. 
The Lower Fall, Looking Down from the Brink of Waterfall
From the brink of the lower fall, you are facing the grandness of the canyon wall. Listening to the powerful energy of the waterfall and looking at the multi-colored hues of the walls of the canyon, with the rainbow in front, it is hard not be awed by this sculpting of nature that resulted from fire and ice (volcanic eruption and glacier melting).
The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone from the Brink of Lower Fall
The Multi-colored Walls of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone River
Lower Falls from Look out Point
Trail Distances:
A. Brink of the Lower Fall - goes down about 600 ft in less than half a mile.
B. Red Rock Point- also goes down about 500-600 ft in less than half a mile. 
C. Lookout Point and Inspiration Point- just a very short level walk from the parking lot.
How to get here: through the one-way North Rim Drive.
* If you want to take the Uncle tom's Trail, it is at the South Rim Drive. We missed that one.

You may want to check other places in Yellowstone which I already had written previously:
          Exploring Yellowstone (part 2)
          Exploring Yellowstone (part 3)
          Geyser Hill
          Gibbon Falls
          Lower Geyser Basin
          Midway Geyser Basin
          Upper Geyser Basin
♥♥
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35 comments:

  1. all breathtaking photos. this is definitely in my bucket list of places to go before I die. thanks for sharing.

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  2. wow you have zoom lens. it's too big, i dont want to carry it (thus I didnt buy one) haha

    i definitely think that you are in a paradise :-)

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  3. simply BREATHTAKING images dear betchai, thanks for this refreshing tour, I loved it!

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  4. Just stunning captures! The falls are always a pretty sight, and these are the prettiest I have ever seen!! The rainbow through the water is always a treat too!
    Have a fantastic day :)

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  5. I can feel the roaring sound of the fall.

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  6. oh my! sigh...help me catch my breath! whew.....speechless...echoing Ruthi in saying including it on my list of places to visit before I die :-)

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  7. stunning views... worthy of a picture-perfect moment :-)

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  8. those are amazing photos. the technique is deadly on track too.

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  9. Ahh! so fascinating photos. inggit tuloy ako.

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  10. Ay galing na ako rito kanina, talagang hanga ako rito.

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  11. You have postcard-perfect photos! I super love those photos with rainbows on them. Very beautiful!

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  12. Majestic looking waterfalls, and love the one with the rainbow! Beautiful photos, Betchai! Have a great week..

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  13. taking a bath there wont be a bad idea ha? :P

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  14. amazing photos. i suddenly want to take a long drive and head somewhere where there is water. wish i could take great pics similar to yours...

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  15. Beautiful and breath-taking view! I don't think I'll find myself stepping anywhere close to that side railing, that's for sure. I'd probably take a picture from a distance. :)

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  16. I love how you captured the rainbows. They are fabulous.

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  17. Your photos are really amazing Sis Betchai. And I was so happy to see a rainbow in one of the pictures! How did you do that? :-)

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  18. the grand canyon is really beautiful! its one of my wishlist to visit one day. the rocks formation is just simply amazing!

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  19. stunning! I have it on my travel list. Hopefully I can visit one day...

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  20. truly amazing... God's wonders is truly everlasting.. i hope we could visit the spot sometime.. it'd really be awesome to take pictures of such an amazing creation.

    cheers :) thanks for sharing :)

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  21. I think the word "breathtaking" is being repeatedly used in describing the photos you have captured!:) Kasi talaga namang breathtaking ate Betchai:)You always have a great capture of the wonders of nature:)Thanks for sharing:)

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  22. I am just too amazed of these beautiful pictures, Betchai! What a lovely sight to behold! Through these beautiful photos, I am once again reminded on how wonderful God's creations are. Thanks as always for the breathtaking share.

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  23. I love all your photos...really astonishing...thanks for bringing us there through your beautiful photos :)

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  24. Awesome shots, Betch! I've never been to California, but this sure is one place I'd love to visit one day :)

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  25. Those pictures are absolutely breathtaking. How many times have I said that to you now?

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  26. whew! i think i have not told you before that all your photos deserved to be in National Geographic magazine/website Beth. they never fail to awaken the wanderlust in me! awe-inspiring! and i love falls, the rainbow is an added beauty to behold. :)

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  27. Stunning captures can't take my eyes off your pictures

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  28. Amazing! I bet you could feel the water spray and coolness by being that close.

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  29. you really have an amazing shots!!! I can imagine myself on the picture. (: I wish I was there too to capture the beautiful scenery of the Grand Canyon!

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  30. What a beautiful view to visit... But i know someday I can visit this place with my family or maybe with friends!

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  31. I only have one word to describe the place "amazing"

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THANK YOU SO MUCH!!