Fairy Falls Trail
These 197-foot waterfalls, some of the highest in the park, are a short, easy walk away from the big crowds.
Plan Around Fairy Falls Trail
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Use this detail page to confirm that the stop is worth it, then carry that decision into a trip draft while the park context is still fresh.
Fairy Falls Trail Details
These 197-foot waterfalls, some of the highest in the park, are a short, easy walk away from the big crowds. Multi-colored, steaming rainbows are visible from the nearby Grand Prismatic Spring midway to the falls, which are found in a shady, narrow space in the dark canyon walls of Madison Plateau. Fairy Creek leaps from the top of the plateau, hitting the jagged rock face 100 feet below, and plunges into a freezing pool before flowing out toward Lower Geyser Basin. The trail, which experiences little elevation change, follows an old freight road through a forest of decaying pines ravaged by the 1988 wildfires and new evergreens struggling to survive.
Difficulty
Low
Distance
2.4 miles
Estimated time
1.5 hours
Region
N/A
Nearby Parks Around Fairy Falls Trail
Compare nearby parks around Fairy Falls Trail when deciding whether to expand the route after this stop.
Nearby Points of Interest Around Fairy Falls Trail
Use nearby POIs to quickly expand your options beyond Fairy Falls Trail while the map context is still fresh.
0.0 mi away
Firehole River Bridge
This historic structure is a gateway to the heart of Yellowstone's geothermal activity.
0.1 mi away
Midway Geyser Basin
The great writer Rudyard Kipling dubbed this area of large hot springs "Hell's Half Acre".
0.1 mi away
Midway Geyser Basin Trail
Home to two of the largest thermal features in the park.
0.2 mi away
Grand Prismatic Spring
The largest hot spring in the United States but also the third largest in the world.
