Both in Yellowstone National Park, 16 mi apart · 16 mi apart

Gibbon Falls vs Silver Cord Cascade

Two waterfalls in our directory, side by side. Same data we use on the individual pages — height, access, what we know, what we don't.

Wyoming

Gibbon Falls

Gibbon Falls is an 84-foot fan-shaped waterfall on the Gibbon River, cascading directly over the rim of the Yellowstone Caldera — the edge of the 631,000-year-old supervolcano crater. Located roadside on the Grand Loop Road between Madison Junction and Norris, it's one of Yellowstone's most accessible falls: paved wheelchair-accessible path, no hiking required, and the overlook puts you eye-level with the entire cascade. Road closes November through late April.

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Wyoming

Silver Cord Cascade

Silver Cord Cascade is the tallest waterfall in Yellowstone National Park, dropping 1,214 feet down the north wall of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. The view is from across the canyon — there is no access to the base. The cascade is best seen from the Ribbon Lake Trail, a short walk from Glacial Boulder. Flow peaks in May and June with snowmelt and thins steadily through summer.

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Spec	Gibbon Falls	Silver Cord Cascade
State	Wyoming	Wyoming
Height	84 ft	1,214 ft
Type	fan	horsetail
Watercourse	Gibbon River	Surface Creek
Park	Yellowstone National Park	Yellowstone National Park
County	Park	Park
Elevation	2191 m	2380 m
Nearest city	Madison Junction (4.7 mi)	Canyon Village (4 mi)
Dogs allowed	No	No

About Gibbon Falls

Gibbon Falls is a waterfall on the Gibbon River in northwestern Yellowstone National Park in the United States. Gibbon Falls has a drop of approximately 84 feet (26 m). The falls are located roadside, 4.7 miles (7.6 km) upstream from the confluence of the Gibbon and Firehole Rivers at Madison Junction on the Grand Loop Road.

About Silver Cord Cascade

Silver Cord Cascade is a horsetail type waterfall on Surface Creek, a tributary of the Yellowstone River in Yellowstone National Park. Surface Creek flows out of Ribbon Lake off the South rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and plunges 1,200 feet (370 m) to the Yellowstone River. It is considered one of the tallest waterfalls in Yellowstone.

Where they are

Dashed line shows the straight-line distance (16 mi). Actual drive time depends on the route — neither pin is the parking lot, so use a map app for turn-by-turn.

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