About Lewis Falls
Lewis Falls was a wide 30ft tall waterfall on the Lewis River, where we chanced upon it as we were driving south on the South Entrance Road as it was one of the easier waterfalls to see.
According to The Guide to Yellowstone Waterfalls and Their Discovery
That said, a Hayden surveyor by the name of Frank Bradley honored Lewis by naming the falls as such because he wanted at least one landmark to be named after one of the guys who first surveyed the region.
Experiencing Lewis Falls
Each time we’ve stopped for this waterfall, it was in the morning when the rising sun would shine right on the waterfall. For the rest of the day, at least part or all of it would be in shadow. Thus, morning would be the time to take photographs.
When we first visited the falls in June 2004, the best views we were willing to get were from the north side of the bridge over the Lewis River.
I did spot some faint trails that continued for a closer and more direct look at the Lewis Falls, but it looked ill-defined.
That said, I suspected that the picture shown in the Yellowstone Waterfalls book was probably where that trail would have led to.
On a more recent visit in August 2017, it appeared that a new trail was built that brought us closer to the falls, and that was where the photo at the top of this page came from.
This was one of a handful of examples where the park service made changes to the park that was actually for the better.
Especially in this case, the erosion from off-trail scrambling would be less likely given the obvious trail that was now in place while at the same time enhancing the visitor experience.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition
Finally, the Lewis and Clark expedition was significant because it was the first government-sanctioned effort to explore and map the Western Frontiers (including parts of what would become Yellowstone National Park) shortly after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.
Apparently with some assistance from Sacagawea (a Native American woman from the Shoshone Tribe), they ultimately reached the Pacific Ocean.
For better or for worse (especially for Native Americans), this set the stage for settlers to come west, but it also set the stage for the eventual establishment of National Parks.
Authorities
Lewis Falls resides in Yellowstone National Park. For information or inquiries about the park as well as current conditions, visit the National Park Service website.
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