Waterfalls

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Directions

Fairy Falls can be reached from two different trailheads. The first trailhead, 1 mile south of the Midway Geyser Basin, begins at a steel bridge across the Firehole River and follows the Fountain Freight Road hiking/biking trail for approximately 1 mile before the hiking-only trail to Fairy Falls branches off on the left. The second trailhead, 1/2 mile south of the Nez Perce picnic area on the Fountain Freight Road, follows the hiking/biking path from the northern end, 1-3/4 miles to the junction with the Fairy Falls trail.

Trailhead: 1) Steel Bridge parking area 1 mile south of the Midway Geyser Basin

2) Fountain Freight Road parking area 1 mile south of Nez Perce picnic area on the Fountain Freight Road

Distance: 5 miles (8 km) from trailhead #1; 7 miles (5.5 km) from trailhead #2

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Description

At 197 feet high, Fairy is one of the tallest waterfalls in Yellowstone.  Located behing Midway Geyser Basin, the trail starts out on an old roadbed, then veers to the west through timber.  The falls plunge off a plateau into a shallow, shaded pool of very cold water.  The hike to Fairy can take several hours (or longer if you take one of several side trails), so be sure to take water with you.

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Firehole Falls

Directions

Located one-half mile south of Madison Junction, Firehole Falls is alongside the Firehole Canyon Road.  This one way drive runs north to south, and features steep canyon walls in addition to the waterfalls. 

Description

The falls themselves are about 40 feet in height.  During spring and early summer, Firehole Falls is especially impressive.

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Gibbon Falls

Directions

Gibbon Falls is located on the Gibbon River about midway between Norris Geyser Basin and Madison Junction.  The falls are situated where the Gibbon River falls off the Northern escarpment into the Yellowstone Caldera.

Description

There is a parking area near the top of the falls which offers a great viewpoint, and is often crowded. The falls tumble about 80 feet in a gradual descent.

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Kepler Cascades

Directions

Kepler Cascades is located about two miles south of Old Faithful Village.  The cascades are viewable from a roadside pullout.

Description

This three-tiered cascade drops over 50 feet as the Firehole River flows North. The Kepler Cascades were actually named in 1881 for the 12 year old son of Wyoming's territorial governor, Kepler Hoyt, who toured the park with his father, Governor John Hoyt.

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Lewis Falls

Directions

Located roughly 11 miles inside Yellowstone's south entrance, and two miles south of Lewis Lake, Lewis falls is easily accessible from parking lots on each side of the Lewis River bridge.

Description

The falls are about 30 feet in height. Located 10 miles north of Yellowstone's South Entrance, the Lewis Falls Trail is an easily accessible path which leads to a dramatic overlook of the Lewis River Falls. Last year, more than 700,000 visitors passed through the South Entrance gates and many of these visitors stopped to walk the Lewis Falls Trail, picnic near the falls, or fish in the river. The trail is also very near to the popular Lewis Lake campground where more than 15,000 campers stay and recreate each summer. Because of the high visitor impact in this area, many new trails have formed and much damage has occurred to the vegetation within these trail corridors. This project will focus on repairing the deteriorated main trail so that it is safer, easier to use, and more clearly delineated. The National Park Service trails staff, in partnership with the Montana Youth Conservation Corps, will spend four weeks building masonry steps, installing soil retention and drainage mechanisms, and rehabilitating impacted soils, bared tree roots, and vegetation along the length of this trail.

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Lower Falls

Directions

The Lower Falls area is located just to the east of Canyon Village.  A one-way loop drive takes you to the brink of the Grand Canyon and offers four views, with the last stop at the trail that leads to the top of the Falls.

Description

Lower Falls, the biggest waterfall in Yellowstone, is the most famous in the Park, hands down.  In fact, the 308-foot tall waterfall it is most likely the second most photographed spot in Yellowstone, with Old Faithful Geyser being the first.  There are numerous views of the Falls from both the east (Inspiration Point, Grandview Point and Lookout Point) and west (Artists Point) sides of the Grand Canyon, most of which require only a short walk or virtually no walk to see.  The trail to the top of the Falls (3/4 of a mile roundtrip, but steep with many switchbacks) is a must, as the experience of standing atop the Falls is one of the most breath-taking experiences in the entire Park.

The canyon's colors were created by hot water acting on volcanic rock. It was not these colors, but the river's yellow banks at its distant confluence with the Missouri River, that occasioned the Minnetaree Indian name which French trappers translated as roche jaune, yellow stone. The canyon has been rapidly downcut more than once, perhaps by great glacial outburst floods. Little deepening takes place today.

Inspiration Point

A member of the Washburn party in 1870, Nathanial P. Langford, used these words to describe his visit to this point:

"The place where I obtained the best and most terrible view of the canyon was a narrow projecting point situated two to three miles below the lower fall. Standing there or rather lying there for greater safety, I thought how utterly impossible it would be to describe to another the sensations inspired by such a presence. As I took in the scene, I realized my own littleness, my helplessness, my dread exposure to destruction, my inability to cope with or even comprehend the mighty architecture of nature."

Lookout Point

This was a popular lookout for many early visitors to the park. Noticing that it got regular visitation, in 1880 Superintendent P.W. Norris built a railing here and the location has been called Lookout Point ever since. It is likely that this was the superintendents preferred name for the spot. It had been called many things prior to 1880 including Point Lookout, Lookout Rock, Mount Lookout, and Prospect Point.

Brink of the Lower Falls

Over the years the estimates of the height of this falls has varied dramatically. In 1851 Jim Bridger estimated its height at 250 feet. One outrageous newspaper story from 1867 placed its height at "thousands of feet". A map from 1869 gives the falls its current name of Lower Falls for the first time and estimates the height at 350 feet.

It mattered little how tall the observers thought the falls was. They consistently write journal entries that comment on its awe-inspiring nature. A member of the 1870 Washburn party N. P. Langford gave this brief but poetic description: "A grander scene than the lower cataract of the Yellowstone was never witnessed by mortal eyes."

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Moose Falls

Directions

Moose Falls are located approximately one mile north of Yellowstone's south entrance.  The parking area and associated trailhead are marked by a small sign.

Description

These falls are tumble about 32 feet and are located just a short walking distance down the trail.  A beautiful sight, Moose Falls is definitely worth stopping to see on your next Yellowstone vacation.

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Mystic Falls

Directions

The falls are located behind Biscuit Basin, near the Old Faithful Area. After about .5 miles, the trail takes a fork. The left-hand fork goes directly to Mystic Falls and is about one mile long. It is an easy hike. The right-hand fork also goes to the Falls, but is nearly two miles long and is uphill the first half-mile. A great view awaits at the top of the ridge. The entire loop is about three miles long.

Description

For those who love waterfalls in particular, one of the best short waterfall hikes is Mystic Falls. The longer route offers a fantastic view of the Upper Geyser Basin (Old Faithful Area) and the ridgeline which runs to the west. Mystic Falls itself is a spectacular waterfall which cascades about 70 feet down off the Madison Plateau along the Little Firehole River. It is a bit unique among Yellowstone's waterfalls in that thermal activity is visible from the bottom all the way to the top of the falls, with clouds of steam rising from seemingly dozens of places at the top, sides and bottom of the waterfall. Although one will likely encounter other hikers on the trail, the Mystic Falls trail is one of Yellowstone's many quick getaway trails.

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Tower Falls

Directions

Tower Fall is 17 miles north of Canyon or two miles south of Roosevelt.  During the winter months, the frozen falls are accessible via cross country skies.

Description

Tower Fall is a must see waterfall.  132 feet in height, the waterfall is located in a canyon near the Tower Falls general store.  A half-mile steep, switchback hike downward takes you to the bottom of the waterfall.  Take the same trail back up.  The trail is also accessible during the winter months, but skiers should pack in shoes appropriate for descending the very icy trail.  During the winter months, the entire waterfall is encased in an ice dome. The name "Tower" is derived from the towering volcanic formations surrounding the falls. 

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Undine Falls

Directions

Undine Falls is four miles east of Mammoth, near the roadway, and accessible by an easy, short hike. 

Description

Lava Creek spills over the cliff face of a basalt lava flow that was emplaced about 700,000 years ago.  The falls is approximately 60 feet in height, descending in three plunges. 

Originally called "East Gardner Falls," "Cascade Falls of the East Gardiner," or "Gardiner River Falls," Undine received its present name in 1885 from geologist Arnold Hague. Undine (Webster says it is pronounced UN deen) was named for wise, usually female water spirits from German mythology who lived around waterfalls and who could gain souls by marrying mortal men.

Undine Falls was featured on the cover of the July 1977 edition of National Geographic magazine.

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Upper Falls

Directions

Upper Falls is located just south of Canyon village.  Drive across Chittenden Bridge to Uncle Tom's parking area to reach the trail head.

Description

The Upper Falls of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is neither as tall nor as popular as Lower Falls, but the 109 foot waterfall certainly merits a visit, as it is impressive in its own right. This falls was called the "upper falls" for the first time by members of the 1869 Folsom party who estimated its height at 115 feet. Visitors to the Brink of the Upper Falls have throughout time found the power of the experience worthy of detailed description.   In 1870 N.P. Langford of the Washburn party wrote of his visit to the brink:

"Mr. Hedges and I made our way down to this table rock, where we sat for a long time. As from this spot we looked up at the descending waters, we insensibly felt that the slightest protrusion in them would hurl us backwards into the gulf below. A thousand arrows of foam, apparently aimed at us, leaped from the verge, and passed rapidly down the sheet. But as the view grew upon us, and we comprehended the power, majesty and beauty of the scene, we became insensible to the danger and gave ourselves up to the full enjoyment of it."

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Virginia Cascades

Directions

Virginia Cascades is located 2.5 miles east of Norris Junction on the Norris to Canyon road.  It is located along a mile-long side drive to the south of the main road.

Description

Virginia Cascades tumbles 60 feet over a relatively gradual slope into a deep canyon.  The falls are just a few feet from the roadway, and there are only a few places in which automobiles can pull off the narrow roadway to observe the falls.  It is a very beautiful waterfall not far from the mouth of a lush meadow, and surrounded by a thick strand of lodgepole pines.

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