Sheepeater Cliff – Yellowstone National Park
An off-the-beaten path attraction in Yellowstone National Park, Sheepeater Cliff is a rock formation made up of columnar basalt, located in-between the Norris Geyser Basin and Mammoth Hot Springs area in Yellowstone National Park. While you’ll usually find other people at Sheepeater Cliff, it’s never too busy and a great spot to escape the summer crowds in Yellowstone National Park. Let’s get a closer look at Sheepeater Cliff, shall we?
Sheepeater Cliff – Location
The turnoff for Sheepeater Cliff is about 2/3 of the way from Norris Geyser Basin to Mammoth Hot Springs. It’s just past the Indian Creek campground – once you’re past that, keep an eye out for the sign for Sheepeater Cliff – the turnoff will be on the east side of the road.
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The road to Sheepeater Cliff is very short – you’ll come to a parking area. You’ll find pit toilets and picnic tables. The parking lot is near the creek and you may find other park visitors fly fishing in the river. You’ll also notice a ton of marmots around!
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Visiting Sheepeater Cliff
The Sheepeater Cliff rock formation is right at the parking lot – there is no hike required. You’ll see a sign giving you more information about the geology of the area. The cliffs were formed 500,000 years ago when basalt lava formed these vertical joints when it cooled. To me, these columnar basalt columns are so interesting – they’re the same type of formations you’ll see at the Giant’s Causeway in Ireland and the Devil’s Postpile National Monument.
You are allowed to climb the rocks – but of course, that makes getting people-free images for photographers pretty difficult. My sister and I just waited it out until the groups of people cleared and we were able to get people-free images. Climbing around on the lava rocks looked a bit unsafe, so if you’re going to do this, make sure to wear proper footwear – we saw people doing this in flip flops and they were struggling.
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The Sheepeater Cliff you see from the parking lot isn’t the only formation in the area – the cliffs actually go on a bit further so if you want, you can follow a trail to get away from any crowds in this area. The trail follows along the creek and if you keep going, you’ll find the Tukadika Falls waterfall. My sister and I didn’t have the time to do this, but it looks like it would be an interesting hike.
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Sheepeater Cliff – Yellowstone National Park – Final Thoughts
Sheepeater Cliff is an interesting stop along your trip around the park. If you’ve never seen these columnar basalt rock formations, definitely check it out. Of course, if you have seen them before, Sheepeater Cliff definitely isn’t as impressive as seeing, say, the Devil’s Postpile in California, as it’s much, much smaller, however, Sheepeater Cliff is just a short drive down the road, whereas the Postpile can possibly eat up your entire day! This stop can be a quick 5 minute photo op, a 30 minute picnic break, or a 1 hour hike.
