Do you want to see some waterfalls in Yellowstone but aren’t sure which ones are worth your time?
You’re not alone. Yellowstone has dozens of waterfalls scattered across a massive park, and they’re all a little different. Some are easy roadside stops. Others require a hike. And not all of them deliver that “wow” moment you’re hoping for — especially if you’re short on time.
I’ve seen a ton them (not all 300, though!). Some completely blew me away. Others were nice… but not worth going out of your way for. I’ll share both, so you can focus on the ones that really stand out.
This guide to the top ten Yellowstone waterfalls is for first-time visitors (and waterfall lovers) who want to experience the most impressive cascades without wasting time on underwhelming stops.
Here’s a quick teaser: Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River is easily the most iconic — and one of the most powerful — waterfalls in the entire park.
What you’ll find here isn’t just a list of names. I’ll walk you through what makes each waterfall special, how to see it, and whether it’s worth the effort for your itinerary.
Let’s find the Yellowstone waterfalls that deserve a spot on your trip.
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Table of Contents
The 10 Best Waterfalls In Yellowstone National Park
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Best Yellowstone Waterfalls
1. Mystic Falls
Height: 70 feet
Location: Upper Geyser Basin
Mystic Falls are on the Little Firehole River, as it tumbles over a series of ledges in a small canyon. They are some of the prettiest waterfalls Yellowstone National Park has, but you need to hike to see them.
The 2.4-mile trail leaves from Biscuit Basin and goes along a creek through a conifer forest before arriving at the falls. You can return the way you came, or add another 1.5 miles to your hike by continuing in a big loop back to the trailhead.
2. Lewis Falls
Height: 30 feet
Location: Half way between the South Entrance and Grant Village
These small but beautiful Yellowstone National Park waterfalls are on the Lewis River in the south region of the park.
If you are heading south, you’ll see them from the road easily. If you’re heading north, pull off after you cross the Lewis River Bridge, as they are on the other side of the road. A short walk gets you closer to the falls (where this photo was taken).
3. Undine Falls
Height: 60 feet
Location: 4 miles east of Mammoth Hot Springs
These beautiful waterfalls in Yellowstone Park are along Lava Creek as it drops over three tiers totaling 60 feet. They can be easily seen from an overlook next to a pullout on the side of the road (on the left if you’re headed east). You can also hike a short trail to the brink of the falls.
4. Osprey Falls
Height: 150 feet
Location: 5 miles south of Mammoth Hot Springs
Some of the most beautiful waterfalls at Yellowstone National Park, the falls on the Gardner River plunge over the edge of a lava flow.
They are reached by an 8-mile out-and-back hike. From the trailhead just south of Golden Gate, the trail crosses grassland before descending into one of the park’s deepest canyons, Sheepeater Canyon.
5. Fairy Falls
Height: 200 feet
Location: Midway Geyser Basin
These are some of the tallest falls in the park. They are a single drop on Fairy Creek. The falls are reached by hiking 5.4 miles round trip from Fairy Falls Trailhead past Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook and through a lodgepole pine forest.
They make a great spot for a picnic lunch. You can continue another half a mile to Imperial Geyser and Spray Geyser. An alternate route start/ ends at the end of Fountain Flat Drive.
➡️ Read More: Best Hikes in Yellowstone
6. Gibbon Falls
Height: 80 feet
Location: Halfway between Madison Junction and Norris Geyser Basin
Gibbon Falls are cascading falls on the Gibbon River and can be seen from a view platform next to the parking area. A short 0.5-mile round trip hike takes you to another viewpoint where you can see them from below.
Just off the side of the road, on the east side, they’re some of the most accessible falls Yellowstone has.
➡️ Read More: Best Hikes in Yellowstone
7. Firehole Falls
Height: 40 feet
Location: Firehole Canyon Drive
They may not be the tallest falls at Yellowstone National Park, but they make a great stop on the beautiful Firehole Canyon Scenic drive. They gush over a drop of hardened lava in the Firehole River, a short way upstream from the Firehole River swim area.
➡️ Read More: Best Scenic Drives in Yellowstone
8. Union Falls
Height: 250 feet
Location: The Bechler region in the southwest (back country) corner of the park
Without a doubt some of the most breathtaking falls Yellowstone National Park has, Union Falls require some effort to get to.
The waterfalls are actually the second tallest falls in the park – and many people consider them the most beautiful – but you need to hike 15 miles round trip to get there. The hike includes fording the Fall River and has an elevation gain of about 1,000 feet.
The reward at the end is a unique tent-shaped waterfall formed by two branches of Mountain Ash Creek converging that will take your breath away.
9. Tower Fall
Height: 132 feet
Location: 3 miles south of Tower-Roosevelt Junction
Tower Creek plunges over a steep drop just before joining Yellowstone River. The narrow single drop fall is easily reached by a short trail from Tower Fall parking area/ grocery store/ picnic area. There are interesting rock columns at the top of the falls, formed by a lava flow.
➡️ Read More: Tower Fall is near the start of the Lamar Valley scenic drive.
➡️ Read More: Best Hikes in Yellowstone
10. Upper Falls of the Yellowstone River
This post is about the 10 best waterfalls of Yellowstone National Park, but the Falls of the Yellowstone River are divided into the Upper and Lower Falls, so technically there are 11. They are separated by a bend in a river, so can’t actually be seen together.
Height: 109 feet
Location: Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
The falls aren’t as tall as the larger Lower Falls, but are still spectacular, and are more accessible. A very short walk from the Uncle Tom’s Point parking lot takes you to the classic view of the falls, with the Chittenden Bridge in the background.
It’s also possible to walk to the Brink of the Upper Falls on a short 450-foot path from the north rim of the canyon.
11. Lower Yellowstone Falls
Height: 308 feet
Location: Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
The largest and most spectacular falls in Yellowstone, they are almost twice the height of Niagara Falls.
There are several classic viewpoints. Perhaps the most famous is Artist Point, where you have a panoramic view of the colorful canyon with the falls at the end.
Time your visit just right to see a rainbow at the bottom of the falls. If you follow my detailed Yellowstone Itinerary, you’ll be there at exactly the right moment to see the rainbow!
Other classic views include from Red Rock Point, below the rim of the canyon, and the Brink of the Lower Falls, another challenging steep hike below the north rim.
➡️ Read about these hikes – and others – in my post about the Best Hikes in Yellowstone.
Subscribe to daily national parks planning tips, travel inspiration and trip ideas and get instant access to the free PDF of the
Best Yellowstone Waterfalls
Yellowstone Waterfalls Map
Click on the Waterfalls in Yellowstone map to open an interactive version so you can see where all of these waterfalls are.
There are so many wonderful waterfalls in Yellowstone National Park. And chances are you want to see them all! But you may be wondering “How do I include them in my trip?” I hear this all the time.
Getting an idea of all the best waterfalls in the park is a start – and an important start. But the really tricky part is coordinating seeing them all into an itinerary that actually makes sense – so that you’re seeing the falls at the right time of day, adding in other activities, joining them all together in a logical order, and managing all the logistics that makes them happen.
To help take away the overwhelm of planning a trip to Yellowstone, I’ve created several super detailed itineraries.
There are 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4- day options for Yellowstone National Park: all with detailed hour-by-hour schedules, including alternatives for different activity and fitness levels, plus trail maps and descriptions, driving instructions, important information, essential tips, and everything else you need to make the most of your time in Yellowstone National Park.
Obviously, the more days you spend in Yellowstone National Park, the more waterfalls you can see; however, you’ll see them all the front-country falls on the three- and four-day itineraries. If you want to do the two that take long hikes to get there, add in another couple of days.
And if your time is more limited, the itineraries will help you make the most of whatever time you have available so you see the best ones for the time you have.
Yellowstone Waterfalls FAQs
Where are the two largest waterfalls in Yellowstone?
The largest waterfalls in Yellowstone National Park are the Lower Yellowstone Falls. Although many people mistakenly think that the second tallest waterfalls in the park are the Upper Yellowstone Falls, they are actually Union Falls.
How many waterfalls are in Yellowstone?
There are almost 300 waterfalls in Yellowstone National Park. We have just looked at the best 11 here.
Where is the big waterfall in Yellowstone?
The biggest waterfall is in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, near Canyon Village.
How far is the hike to Lower Falls, Yellowstone?
The hike to the Brink of the Lower Falls is just 0.8 miles roundtrip, but is very steep.
➡️ Read about this and other Yellowstone Hikes for more details.
Do Yellowstone Falls freeze?
Yes, they do. You can see these falls in winter, but it does take some planning.
➡️ Check out my Guide to Visiting Yellowstone in Winter for more information.
Travel Insurance for Yellowstone
Be sure you have travel insurance to cover your waterfall watching adventures in Yellowstone. If you slip and need medical attention – or need to be medevacked out – you will want to have coverage to pay for it.
➡️ A great insurance option is Travelex. It has coverage for all you’ll need. You can compare Travel Insurance plans here or get a quote right now:
Enjoy chasing waterfalls 🙂
More Planning Resources for Yellowstone National Park
⭐ Yellowstone National Park Guide
⭐ Yellowstone Itineraries
⭐ 7 Mistakes to Avoid
⭐ How Many Days in Yellowstone National Park?
⭐ Guide To Camping In Yellowstone National Park
⭐ How to Visit Yellowstone in Winter
⭐ Best Things To Do In Yellowstone National Park
⭐ The Best Yellowstone Scenic Drives
⭐ Lamar Valley Scenic Drive
⭐ Tips For Visiting Yellowstone National Park
⭐ Best Hikes in Yellowstone National Park
⭐ Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook Trail Guide
⭐ Best Time to Visit Yellowstone National Park
⭐ Visiting Yellowstone Throughout the Year
⭐ How To Get To Yellowstone National Park
⭐ All The Airports Near Yellowstone National Park
⭐ The Closest Airport to Yellowstone National Park
⭐ 10 Fun Facts about Yellowstone National Park
⭐ Best Books about Yellowstone National Park
⭐ Vacation Rentals Near Yellowstone National Park
⭐ Yellowstone Packing List
If you’re planning to visit Yellowstone National Park by yourself, make your planning easy and stress free with a detailed itinerary. I have 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-day itineraries for Yellowstone National Park that include all the park highlights, give you choices based on your preferred activity level, and take all the stress out of planning your trip.
➡️ If you’re also planning to visit the Grand Tetons, read my Guide to Grand Teton National Park and get a detailed Grand Teton itinerary.
Do you have any other favorite falls in Yellowstone National Park? I’d love to hear about them. Join my private Facebook group National Parks Collectors and comment and let me know (you can also pick up extra planning tips, share your photos and stories with other national park lovers and more).
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Best Yellowstone Waterfalls
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About the Author
James Ian is a national park, camping and hiking expert.
He has dedicated his life to travel, visiting more than 80 countries, all 7 continents and most of the national parks in the United States. With over 35 years experience in the travel industry, James has worked on cruise ships, at resorts and hotels, and as a travel planner who’s helped hundreds of people plan successful trips to US national parks.
Based on his experience visiting our national parks multiple times, in-depth research and expertise as a travel planner, James has published detailed itineraries for many of the major national parks in the US. These itineraries, as well as in-depth park guides, and other resources will help you have your own incredible trip to US national parks without stress and hassle.
As a national park expert, James has contributed to many publications, including USA Today, Newsweek, Time Business News, Savoteur, Best Trip, and Wired.
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