Red Rock Point Trail; Lookout Point—Park at the Lookout Point parking area. The paved trail to Red Rock drops several hundred feet in about ⅜ of a mile. Lookout Point, on the rim, offers essentially the same view of the Lower Falls as Red Rock, but does not permit the viewer to get as close to the falls.
Grandview Trail—Park at the Grandview parking area. This is a very short paved walk to a view of much of the Canyon.
Inspiration Point Trail—Park at the northernmost parking area on the North Rim Drive. Several steps direct you down this short, paved walk to an overlook providing a spectacular Canyon View.
North Rim Trail—Portions of this trail are paved. Starting at Chittenden Bridge, the first ½ mile to the Upper Falls parking area takes the hiker close to the river, a beautiful and impressive torrent as it approaches the Canyon. From slightly west of the Upper Falls parking area the trail continues past Crystal Falls, on Cascade Creek, to the Lower Falls parking area, another ½ mile, then to Lookout Point (½ mile), to Grandview Point (¼ mile), and finally to inspiration Point (1⅛ miles). By trail, Inspiration Point is slightly more than 2¼ miles from the Upper Falls parking area, and 2⅞ miles from Chittenden Bridge.
Though the full length of all trails is not shown on the map, a number of longer hikes originate within the mapped area. A brief description of these trails is given below. Backcountry permits are required for all overnight hikes.
Howard Eaton Trail to Cascade, Grebe, Wolf, and Ice Lakes, and Norris—From the trailhead ½ mile west of Canyon Junction on the Norris-Canyon road the hiker passes through forest, meadow, and marshland to Cascade Lake (3 miles), Grebe Lake (4¼ miles), Wolf Lake (6¼ miles), Ice Lake (8½ miles), and Norris (12 miles). With the exception of the trail up Observation Peak from Cascade Lake, trails in this area have little vertical rise.
The climb to Observation Peak is strenuous, rising about 1400 feet in 3 miles. From the top the hiker is rewarded with an outstanding view of some of Yellowstone’s wilderness country.
A second spur from the Howard Eaton Trail in this area takes the hiker from Cascade Lake to Cascade Lake Picnic Area, which is 1¼ miles north of Canyon Junction on the Tower-Canyon road. The hiker with limited time can take a very enjoyable walk from the picnic area to the lake, then on to the trailhead at the Norris-Canyon road, covering about 5 miles.
A third spur from the Howard Eaton Trail offers easy access to Grebe Lake from the Norris-Canyon road. About 3 miles west of Canyon Junction, at the Grebe Lake parking area and trailhead, a 3 mile trail goes directly into Grebe Lake. When coupled with the Howard Eaton Trail from either Cascade Lake Picnic Area, or the trailhead ½ mile west of the junction, half day walks of about 6¼ and 7¼ miles, respectively, are possible.