Uncle Tom's Trail is a steep stairway descent from the south rim of the

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is the first large canyon on the Yellowstone River downstream from Yellowstone Falls in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. The canyon is approximately long, between deep and from wide. History Althoug ...

to a viewpoint near the base of the Lower

Yellowstone Falls Yellowstone Falls consist of two major waterfalls on the Yellowstone River, within Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, United States. As the Yellowstone river flows north from Yellowstone Lake, it leaves the Hayden Valley and plunges first over ...

Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowston ...

. The trail was constructed in 1898 by park concessionaire, "Uncle Tom" H. F. Richardson when the

Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the mana ...

granted Richardson a permit to operate a ferry across the

Yellowstone River The Yellowstone River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately long, in the Western United States. Considered the principal tributary of upper Missouri, via its own tributaries it drains an area with headwaters across the mountains an ...

. He ferried park visitors across the Yellowstone River above the current site of the Chittenden Memorial Bridge then escorted them to the trail and they traveled down to the base of the Lower Falls via ladders and ropes. Upon their return, visitors were provided a picnic lunch on the south rim of the canyon before returning via the ferry. In 1903 when the original Chittenden Bridge was built, Richardson's ferry business began to decline. In 1905, when the government built a wooden stairway, visitors were increasingly unwilling to pay Richardson the $1 fee for the tour to the base of the falls. 1906 was the last year he operated tours in the canyon. Uncle Tom's Trail has been maintained and improved by the National Park Service. While the original trail had rope ladders and 528 steps, the newer trail has 328 steps (and no rope ladders) and goes 3/4 of the way down the side of the canyon to a viewing platform downriver from Lower Falls. However, in 2019 Uncle Tom's Trail was closed by the National Park Service and has no sign of reopening. It has been removed from all current National Park Service Publications

Notes

{{coord, 44, 42, 57, N, 110, 29, 43, W, format=dms, display=title, type:landmark_region:US-WY Buildings and structures in Park County, Wyoming Buildings and structures in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming Tourist attractions in Park County, Wyoming 1898 establishments in Wyoming Stairways in the United States