The Bechler River is a remote major river flowing southwest entirely within the confines of Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...

 to it confluence with the Fall River

Fall River (Wyoming, Idaho)

Fall River rises on the Madison and Pitchstone plateaus in the southwest corner of Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming and flows approximately to its confluence with the Henrys Fork of the Snake River near Ashton, Idaho...

 in the southwest section of the park. The river was named by Frank Bradley, a member of the 1872 Hayden

Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden

Dr. Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden was an American geologist noted for his pioneering surveying expeditions of the Rocky Mountains in the late 19th century. He was also a physician who served with the Union Army during the Civil War.-Early life:Ferdinand Hayden was born in Westfield, Massachusetts...

 Geological Survey for Gustavus R. Bechler, the chief topographer on the survey. Henry Gannett

Henry Gannett

Henry Gannett, M.E.; LL.D. was an American geographer who is described as the "Father of the Quadrangle" which is the basis for topographical maps in the United States.-Life:...

 also a member of the survey claimed that Belcher discovered the river, but trapper Osborne Russell

Osborne Russell

Osborne Russell was a mountain man and politician who helped form the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. He was born in Maine....

 explored the area in 1830.

Waterfalls

The Bechler River is located in the remote Cascade Corner of the park. A name given to the southwest section of the park by then superintendent Horace Albright in 1921 for the proliferation of waterfalls and cascades in the Fall and Bechler River drainages. Several major Yellowstone waterfalls exist in the Bechler River watershed:

• Albright Falls, 260 feet (79.2 m), 44°16′40"N 110°54′13"W
• Bechler Falls
  Bechler Falls
  Bechler Falls ht. is a waterfall on the Bechler River in Yellowstone National Park. Bechler Falls is the last waterfall on the Bechler River and is approximately from the confluence with the Fall River. It can be reached via the Bechler River trail approximately from the Cave Falls trailhead...
  
  , 15 feet (4.6 m),44°08′57"N 111°00′36"W
• Colonnade Falls, 44°14′19"N 110°56′53"W
  • Upper 35 feet (10.7 m)
  • Lower 67 feet (20.4 m)
• Dunanda Falls, 150 feet (45.7 m), 44°14′52"N 111°01′27"W
• Gwinna Falls, 15 feet (4.6 m), 44°16′55"N 110°52′49"W
• Iris Falls, 45 feet (13.7 m), 44°14′30"N 110°56′37"W
• Ouzel Falls, 230 feet (70.1 m), 44°14′06"N 110°58′33"W
• Quiver Cascade, 98 feet (29.9 m), 44°18′18"N 110°52′53"W
• Ragged Falls, 45 feet (13.7 m), 44°17′17"N 110°53′24"W
• Tempe Cascade, 30 feet (9.1 m), 44°18′06"N 110°52′14"W
• Twister Falls, 55 feet (16.8 m),44°17′51"N 110°51′43"W
• Wahhi Falls, 44°16′31"N 110°52′40"W
  • Upper 28 feet (8.5 m)
  • Lower 18 feet (5.5 m)

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

Cutthroat trout

The cutthroat trout is a species of freshwater fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. It is one of the many fish species colloquially known as trout...

 and a few Rainbow trout

Rainbow trout

The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....

. 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

Shoshone Lake

Shoshone Lake is a backcountry lake with the area of elevated at in the southwest section of Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, US. It lies at the headwaters of the Lewis River a tributary of the Snake River. The U.S...

trail.