Tower Falls Trail is a 0.9 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming that features a waterfall and is good for all skill levels. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, nature trips, and birding and is best used from May until October.
kid friendly
birding
hiking
nature trips
walking
forest
river
views
waterfall
wild flowers
wildlife
no dogs
Tower Fall is a 132-foot waterfall in the Tower-Roosevelt region of Yellowstone National Park. This popular waterfall on Tower Creek was named by members of the 1870 Washburn expedition. It first was called "Minaret Creek," but one member objected, stating that the name violated their agreement to naming objects for their friends. He claimed the name was in reference to "Minnie Rhett," a sweetheart of one of the other members. By unanimous vote, the name was reconsidered and the names "Tower Creek" and "Tower Falls" were applied. The 132-foot waterfall plunges as a near-perfect water column until it crashes onto the rocks at its base. Until 1986, a precarious boulder was perched on the lip of the falls, and in the spring of that year, without witnesses, it plunged to the bottom. Tower Creek has cut through the basalt formation, which make up the walls of the gorge. At the brink of the falls are eerie-shaped minarets or towers sculpted from rhyolitic basalt.
Nice trail that leads to a beautiful river
Hiked the trail today with our 4 year old. Nice view of the waterfall at the top and an easy hike down. Got our feet wet in the river at the bottom. Very crowded, but it's a holiday weekend. Carried our daughter halfway up from the bottom.
Not really worth the stop to be honest. The trail further down past the Falls ends in a weird place and just doesn't compare well to so many other options in the area.
I was very disappointed with this trail. The trail was blocked off. The only view of Tower Falls was from a view point and was mostly blocked from trees.
Nice views, but doesn't go to the falls. An overlook is available to see the falls, but is extremely crowded with people that don't want to hike but want good pictures. Obstructed views of the waterfall at the overlook. 1/2 mile trek down to the river is nice, but trail is unmaintained after this point. Saw a couple of people attempt the walk down to the river but they struggled.
The major downfall is that there are so many people. There is also a ton of construction on the alternate paths leading down to the falls. If you do this trail definitely take the path down to the riverside and hang out along the little beach.
Hiked this short trail back in 88'. Nice waterfall and easy trail. Had the place to ourselves the morning we did it. That makes a difference when visiting a spot like this, as they can get overcrowded.
Upon seeing a trail closed up ahead sign, I hiked the short trail down to the river to see the reason the trail to the foot of the falls was closed. I put my hand in the river at the bottom [which is a nice view in itself as there is a sandy beach] and went to the trail closure point to discover that the trail to the left had been washed out and suspect this happens quite a bit due to rainfall and makeup of the terrain. Still got a really good shot at the overlook.
Although the view of Tower Falls and the namesake stone “towers” from the observation platform is impressive, the trail itself does NOT lead to the base of the falls as some published sources (and even some park employees!) claim, so we didn’t hike beyond the viewpoint. Be sure to try a huckleberry ice cream sandwich in the store – they’re yummy!
An ok little trail. Down then back up again.
Ok, wish they would finish the rest of the trail that got wiped out from the land slide, not really worth it till you can get back to the base of the falls. Wont do it again till it's open all the way
A good trail to the waterfall, easy for everyone
Went here with family years ago and loved it! Beautiful waterfall! I remember we stopped for ice cream at a place near the falls as this was one of our last hikes of the day! So much fun!
Shortest Hike I did while in Yellowstone it was ok Nothing to write home about....
Nice hike but the last part to the bottom of the falls was closed. When it opens again, I hope someone picks up my hat... It blew off at the top. Moderate and a little difficult to get to the river (off trail) but worth it. Short overall hike (10-15 min each way)
Peg H.
Nice short walk to view the waterfalls.
Pure beauty, very nice hike!! Stunning waterfall!
Easy trail with a unique waterfall and rock formations at the end. Be prepared to fight a crowd!
All hail yellow stone !
Pretty trail, and the waterfall is beautiful.
I absolutely loved this hike, especially after passing the overlook. Nice view at the base of the falls, and all around awesome scenery.
Loved this hike. Went down to the river and hiked up to the base of the falls. Most of the crowds didn't go past the first viewpoint
I went on this trail as a ski trail and loved it. It had moderate hills and some beautiful views. We started basically at Tower Junction and went up past the calcite springs. It was a short, enjoyable ski.
They're still restoring this trail after washouts so you can only go about a quarter mile beyond the upper viewing platform for the falls. It's a nice little trail, but a bummer since you can't get down to the base of the falls, thus not entirely worth the time (but that may just be because I was grouchy because I had an injured knee when I hiked it.) What's open is a pretty easy trail, there were even a few people walking it in flip flops.