Artist Point in Yellowstone National Park

There are many things in Yellowstone National Park.  Far too many to pick a favorite. However, we have no problem rattling off a list of favorites!  One of those would undoubtedly be Artist Point along the south rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. It’s a must-see view in the park that millions of visitors treasure.

With a name like Artist Point, it’s easy to assume that it’s named after the view from a famous work of art.  In 1872, the United States Congress paid Thomas Moran $10,000 for an oil painting of the Yellowstone Canyon.  Moran’s art would help inspire lawmakers to make Yellowstone our nation’s first National Park.  

“Beyond the reach of human art.”

-Thomas Moran

Artist Point was named by mistake

In the early 1880s, Yellowstone Photographer F. Jay Haynes thought he had found the spot where Moran brushed his famous work. Haynes named the spot Artist Point and even published it in a guidebook and on postcards. However, there was only one problem: Haynes was wrong.  Moran painted his work from the north rim.  “Moran Point,” as it would become known, is not accessible to visitors or hikers and is not even noted on most modern maps. Its location is somewhere in between Lookout Point and Grand View on the north rim. Despite being wrong and becoming known that Hayes was incorrect, the name stuck, and it would become an iconic view in Yellowstone.

Visiting the viewpoint

Today, visitors can take a short paved walk to two overlooks. The first of which is ADA-accessible. When Thomas Moran described the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone as “beyond the reach of human art” he was certainly telling the truth. Pictures cannot do the grandeur of the steep canyon walls leading to the magnificent Lower Falls justice. On your visit, try and time it so you arrive in the early morning light. If conditions are right, typically a sunny summer morning, you may get lucky and see a rainbow at the base of Lower Falls.