This worthwhile overlook 1.5 miles south of Tower–Roosevelt Junction offers vertiginous views of a section of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone known as the Narrows. A short trail leads to views north of the gorge’s sulfuric yellows and smoking sides. All around are vertical basalt columns, part of a 25ft-deep lava flow that covered the area 1.3 million years ago. Below the basalt are glacial deposits; above the basalt are layers of volcanic ash.
More hexagonal basalt columns hang above the roadside a little further along the main road, though parking here is limited. You’ll find dramatic (and crowd-free!) views of Calcite Springs and the Narrows from the Yellowstone River Picnic Area Trail.
