Popular Yellowstone Waterfalls
Frontcountry Waterfalls
(Those along the road or within a very short hike)
- Rustic Falls: 47-foot horsetail waterfall located along the Golden Gate section of the road between Mammoth and Norris (approximately 4.7 miles south of Mammoth).
- Undine Falls: 60-foot, three-tiered waterfall located right off the road 4 miles east of Mammoth
- Wraith Falls: 100-foot cascading waterfall located off the road 1/2 mile down the Wraith Falls Trailhead (4.9 miles east of Mammoth).
- Lost Creek Falls: 40-foot plunging waterfall located 3/10 of a mile southwest of Roosevelt Lodge. Short hike required.
- Tower Fall: 132-foot plunging waterfall located adjacent to the Tower Fall General Store.
- Lower Falls of the Yellowstone: 308-foot plunging waterfall located 1.5 miles south of Canyon Junction. Several different viewpoints along the Canyon Rim Drive and South Rim Drive.
- Upper Falls of the Yellowstone: 109-foot plunging waterfall located 2 miles south of Canyon. Best view is from Uncle Tom’s Trail parking lot.
- Crystal Falls: 129-foot, three-tiered plunging waterfall, located 1.8 miles south of Canyon Junction. Best view is from Uncle Tom’s Trail parking lot
- Virginia Cascades: 60-foot cascading waterfall located along Virginia Cascades Drive (1.5 miles east of Norris Junction).
- Gibbon Falls: 85-foot horsetail waterfall located along the Madison to Norris road (approx 4.7 miles north of junction).
- Firehole Falls: 40-foot plunging waterfall located along Firehole Falls Road, the entrance to which is 1.5 miles south of Madison Junction.
- Kepler Cascades: 150-foot tiered cascading waterfall located along the West Thumb-to-Old Faithful Road (approximately 2.7 miles east of Old Faithful).
- Talus Falls : 100-foot cascading horsetail waterfall located along the East Entrance Road, approximately 19 miles east of Fishing Bridge in Sylvan Pass. Typically disappears in late June.
- Lewis Falls: 30-foot cascading waterfall located along the South Entrance Road, 9.6 miles north of the South Entrance Station.
- Moose Falls : 30-foot plunging waterfall located 1.2 miles north of the South Entrance Station. 3/10 mile hike required.
Backcountry Waterfalls
(Those requiring a bit of a hike to see)
- Osprey Falls: 150-foot plunging waterfall located on the Osprey Falls Trail (off the Bunsen Peak Loop).
- Little Gibbon Falls : 25-foot cascading waterfall, accessed via the Little Gibbon Falls Trailhead, located on the west end of Virginia Meadows on the Canyon-to-Norris Road.
- Fairy Falls: Gorgeous 197-foot plunging waterfall, accessed via the Fairy Falls Trailhead, located just south of Midway Geyser Basin on the Madison-to-Old Faithful Road. Easy trail is approximately 2.1 miles.
- Mystic Falls: 70-foot, multi-tiered cascading waterfall is accessed via the Mystic Falls Trailhead, located in Biscuit Basin. Easy one-mile hike.
- Ouzel Falls: 230-foot horsetail, plunging waterfall, reached via the Bechler River Trail, with a 1/2 mile off-trail hike, requiring a ford of the Bechler River. Can be dangerous for the inexperienced hiker.
- Dunanda Falls: 150-foot plunging waterfall on Boundary Creek, accessed via the Boundary Creek Trail. Requires fording of Bartlett Slough, a mid-calf to mid-thigh deep pool of stagnant water, and Bechler Meadows, which may be covered with 1-2 feet of water in the early part of the season.
- Colonnade Falls: 102-foot, two-tiered waterfall on the Bechler River, accessed via the Bechler River Trail (moderate to difficult).
- Morning Falls : 60-foot plunging waterfall (100-feet wide) on the north fork of Mountain Ash Creek. Requires a multiple day hike, and can be reached via a partially maintained trail north of Union Falls.
- Union Falls: 250-foot plunging, fan-shaped waterfall on Mountain Ash Creek. Can be reached via trails from the Cave Falls, Fish Lake, or Grassy Lake areas.
- Cave Falls : 250-foot wide, two-tiered plunging waterfall (20 feet tall) located on the Falls River along the southern boundary of the park near the Bechler Ranger Station off the Cave Falls Road . Parking and overlook are available.
