Yellowstone River

The Yellowstone River is a major tributary of the Missouri River, flowing north through Wyoming and Montana before entering North Dakota. It drains the high country of Yellowstone National Park and the northern Great Plains.

Yellowstone Lake: A large lake in Yellowstone National Park that drains north through the Yellowstone River. Its outlet begins the river’s course across the park.
Yellowstone River Compact: An interstate agreement governing allocation of Yellowstone River water among Montana, Wyoming, and North Dakota. It sets rules for sharing water among the states along the river.
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: A deep canyon carved by the Yellowstone River in Yellowstone National Park. The river’s waterfalls and eroded volcanic rock define this iconic reach.
Crow people: An Indigenous people whose homelands include parts of the Yellowstone River basin. Crow communities have deep historical and cultural ties to the river and its surrounding lands.
Gallatin River: A river in southwestern Montana that joins the Jefferson and Madison rivers to form the Missouri. Unlike the Yellowstone, it enters the Missouri far upstream through a different headwater system.
Gardner River: A tributary of the Yellowstone River in southern Montana. It joins the river near Gardiner after draining the park’s northwestern highlands.
Yellowstone River water rights: Legal entitlements to use water from the Yellowstone River and its tributaries. Irrigation and other withdrawals depend on water rights within the basin.
Yellowstone Falls: Two major waterfalls on the Yellowstone River within its Grand Canyon. The Upper and Lower Falls mark the river’s dramatic descent through the park.
Lewis and Clark Expedition: The 1804–1806 U.S. expedition that explored the Missouri River and reached the Yellowstone’s mouth. The expedition documented the Yellowstone where it joins the Missouri.
Madison River: A river in southwestern Montana that forms the Missouri River with the Jefferson and Gallatin rivers. It is another major regional river, but it belongs to the Missouri’s headwaters rather than the Yellowstone system.

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BillingsRelated: The river runs beside Billings and shapes its setting and history.