Tower Fall Trail

The name of this trail is a bit deceiving, since the portion of the trail that accesses the bottom of the falls has been closed since 2013, but it is a worthwhile trail nonetheless. Most people only hike the 150 yards to the small overlook with a view of Tower Falls from above, which is a nice but not overwhelming view. A few make the complete trek down to nearly river level, and the rewards for going this extra mile are well worth it.

After the short climb to the Tower Falls Overlook, it is pretty much a continual set of switchbacks for a half-mile down to a nice area just above the Yellowstone River with great views both upstream and downstream. The closed section of trail that leads to the bottom of the is quite tempting, but it is not safe. The Tower Falls area was popular with early visitors to the area, and paintings of Yellowstone features, including Tower Falls by Thomas Moran, were instrumental in building momentum for the establishment of the park.