Virginia Cascades facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Virginia Cascades |
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September 1989
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| Location | Yellowstone National Park, Park County, Wyoming |
| Coordinates | 44°42′47″N 110°38′46″W / 44.71306°N 110.64611°W |
| Type | Cascade |
| Total height | 60 feet (18 m) |
| Watercourse | Gibbon River |
Virginia Cascades is a beautiful waterfall located in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. It's a "cascade" type waterfall, which means the water flows over a series of rock steps rather than falling straight down in one big drop. The water for these cascades comes from the Gibbon River.
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Discovering Virginia Cascades
Virginia Cascades is about 60 feet (18 meters) tall. It's a popular spot for visitors to Yellowstone.
Where to Find the Cascades
You can find Virginia Cascades just south of the Norris-Canyon road. It's located about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) east of a place called Norris Junction. There's a special one-way road that lets you drive right up to the north side of the cascades. This makes it easy to visit and see the waterfall up close!
How Virginia Cascades Got Its Name
The waterfall got its name in 1886. It was named to honor Virginia Gibson. She was the wife of Charles Gibson, who was in charge of the businesses that served visitors in Yellowstone Park. Ed Lamartine, who built the first wagon road in that area, gave the waterfall its name.
Earlier Names for the Cascades
Before 1886, the waterfall had a different name. In 1880, the park superintendent at the time, Philetus Norris, had named the cascades Norris Falls.
However, a geologist named Arnold Hague later agreed to the name Virginia Cascades. Even though he usually didn't like to name natural places after people, he thought it was a good idea to name park features after states in the United States. This helped the name Virginia Cascades become official.
