The Bechler River is a remote major river flowing southwest entirely within the confines of
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, with small portions extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U ...
to its confluence with the
Fall River in the southwest section of the park. The river was named by Frank Bradley, a member of the 1872
Hayden Geological Survey for cartographer and explorer
Gustavus R. Bechler, the chief surveyor and mapmaker on the survey.
Henry Gannett
Henry Gannett (August 24, 1846 – November 5, 1914) was an American geographer who is described as the "father of mapmaking in America."Evans, Richard Tranter; Frye, Helen M. (2009).History of the Topographic Branch (Division) (PDF). ''U.S. Geo ...
also a member of the survey claimed that Bechler discovered the river, but trapper
Osborne Russell
Osborne Russell (19 June 1814 – 1 May 1884) was a mountain man and politician who helped form the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. He was born in Maine.
Early life
Osborne Russell was born 19 June 1814, in the village of Bowdoinha ...
explored the area in 1830.
Waterfalls
The Bechler River is located in the remote southwest part of the park known as Cascade Corner, named by Superintendent
Horace Albright in 1921 for the abundance of waterfalls and cascades in the Fall and Bechler River drainages. Several major Yellowstone waterfalls exist in the Bechler River watershed:
* Albright Falls, ,
*
Bechler Falls, ,
* Colonnade Falls,
** Upper
** Lower
* Dunanda Falls, ,
* Gwinna Falls, ,
* Iris Falls, ,
* Ouzel Falls, ,
* Quiver Cascade, ,
* Ragged Falls, ,
* Tempe Cascade, ,
* Twister Falls, ,
* Wahhi Falls,
** Upper
** Lower
Angling
Although the Bechler River is in the remote ''Cascade Corner'' of the park, it is popular with local anglers. It holds mostly
cutthroat trout
The cutthroat trout (''Oncorhynchus clarkii'' clade) is a clade of four fish species of the Family (biology), family Salmonidae native to cold-water Tributary, tributaries of the Pacific Ocean, Rocky Mountains, and Great Basin in North America. ...
and a few
rainbow trout
The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributary, tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in North America and Asia. The steelhead (sometimes called steelhead trout) is an Fish migration#Classification, ...
. Because of spring runoff, the river is generally not fishable until mid-July and access is difficult.
The river is paralleled by the Bechler River Trail which starts at Cave Falls on the park's south boundary or spurs off the
Shoshone Lake trail.
Notes
Rivers of Wyoming
Rivers of Yellowstone National Park
Rivers of Teton County, Wyoming
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