Overview

Hype:

Tower Fall is a 132-foot waterfall in the Tower-Roosevelt region of Yellowstone National Park. The hike to the overlook is very short (150 yards) and easy.

Trail Condition: Class 0 (Trail is paved. No elevation gain.)

Time: 15 minutes

Length: 0.2 miles round trip

Fees: Entrance fee

Recommended Ages:

0-3
4-11
12-19
20-49
50-69
70+

Recommended Months to Visit:

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Features:
  • Waterfalls
  • Potable Water
  • Mountains
  • Marked Trails
  • Restrooms - Flush
  • Road Access is Paved
  • Access Road is 2WD Accessible
  • Interpretive Signs
  • Viewpoint, Overlooks, Vistas
  • Hiking Trails
  • Wildflowers and Vegitation
  • Wildlife and Birding

Getting There

Navigate to 44.892017, -110.386749.

Route

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.

Maps

Closest City or Region: Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Coordinates: 44.892017, -110.386749

Interactive Guide Map

Download Guide Map

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July 13, 2011 Trip Report

By Jeremy Dye

Trip Members

Jeremy Dye, Tara Dye, Savannah Dye, Greg Dye, Laura Dye, Zac Dye, Bryce Ball,

Story

When we went in 2011, the hike to the base of Tower Fall was closed.

Pictures