Tower Fall
Tower Fall
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A scenic waterfall tumbling into the Yellowstone River.
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4.0
370 reviews
Excellent
159
Very good
138
Average
65
Poor
6
Terrible
2
RetiredTravelerTN
Nashville, TN4,006 contributions
Aug 2014 • Couples
On Grand Loop Road, southeast of Roosevelt Lodge, park at the Tower general store lot and walk the short, tenth of a mile to Tower Fall Overlook. Interesting rocks provide the backdrop for the Tower fall. Beyond the overlook, a 1/3 mile trail offers nice views of the Yellowstone River. Light is best early in the morning.
Written 28 September 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Parthasarathi C
West Chester, PA528 contributions
Aug 2019
Tower Fall
On 25th August, 2019, we started early in the morning and headed north. Destination: LAMAR VALLEY. About 31 km north of Canyon Village we came across Tower Fall of Hot Spring Creek. There is an excellent view of Tower Fall from an easy-to-reach roadside overlook.
Tower Fall is a waterfall on Tower Creek in the northeastern region of Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Approximately 1,000 yards (910 m) upstream from the creek's confluence with the Yellowstone River, the fall plunges 132 feet (40 m) into a deep gorge, joining the Yellowstone a few hundred yards below. At the crest of the fall the stream has cut its way through amygdaloidal masses. Amygdaloidal structure is a volcanic rock in which rounded cavities were formed by the expansion of entrapped gas or steam. Over time these cavities got filled with deposits of various minerals. The basaltic rocks formed from solidified magma are very friable, permitting the stream to cut its way through them leaving tall spires of rock from 50 to 100 feet in height, and worn in every conceivable shape. Several of these crumbling rocks stand like sentinels on the very brink of the fall.
The Tower Fall owes its name to the rock pinnacles that stand at the top of the fall.
The view is beautiful: the clear icy stream makes a sheer fall of more than hundred feet to the bottom of the chasm, and thence rushes through the narrow gorge, tumbling over boulders and tree trunks fallen in the channel. The sides of the chasm are worn away into caverns lined with variously-tinted mosses.
The fall is accessible either at the brink or foot, and fine views can be obtained from either side of the canyon. A 1-mile round trip hike drops down to the Yellowstone River alongside Tower Creek and previously connected to a viewing platform at the base of the falls. Unfortunately, the last section of the trail was washed out by rock and mud slides in 2004, and the trail to the base of the waterfall remains closed.
A lovely cascade, hidden away in the dim light of overshadowing rocks and woods, its very voice hushed to a low murmur, unheard at the distance of a few hundred yards. You may pass by within a half mile and not feel its existence.
Tower Creek and Tower Falls are located approximately three miles south of Roosevelt Junction on the Tower-Canyon road.
There is a Yellowstone General Store next to the trail-head. You can get snack or some covetous souvenirs. And there is a casket full of glittering stones of varied colors and shapes. We had had our breakfast there and bought cowboy hats and stickers of bisons and Yellowstone Falls to adorn our refrigerator at home.
On 25th August, 2019, we started early in the morning and headed north. Destination: LAMAR VALLEY. About 31 km north of Canyon Village we came across Tower Fall of Hot Spring Creek. There is an excellent view of Tower Fall from an easy-to-reach roadside overlook.
Tower Fall is a waterfall on Tower Creek in the northeastern region of Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Approximately 1,000 yards (910 m) upstream from the creek's confluence with the Yellowstone River, the fall plunges 132 feet (40 m) into a deep gorge, joining the Yellowstone a few hundred yards below. At the crest of the fall the stream has cut its way through amygdaloidal masses. Amygdaloidal structure is a volcanic rock in which rounded cavities were formed by the expansion of entrapped gas or steam. Over time these cavities got filled with deposits of various minerals. The basaltic rocks formed from solidified magma are very friable, permitting the stream to cut its way through them leaving tall spires of rock from 50 to 100 feet in height, and worn in every conceivable shape. Several of these crumbling rocks stand like sentinels on the very brink of the fall.
The Tower Fall owes its name to the rock pinnacles that stand at the top of the fall.
The view is beautiful: the clear icy stream makes a sheer fall of more than hundred feet to the bottom of the chasm, and thence rushes through the narrow gorge, tumbling over boulders and tree trunks fallen in the channel. The sides of the chasm are worn away into caverns lined with variously-tinted mosses.
The fall is accessible either at the brink or foot, and fine views can be obtained from either side of the canyon. A 1-mile round trip hike drops down to the Yellowstone River alongside Tower Creek and previously connected to a viewing platform at the base of the falls. Unfortunately, the last section of the trail was washed out by rock and mud slides in 2004, and the trail to the base of the waterfall remains closed.
A lovely cascade, hidden away in the dim light of overshadowing rocks and woods, its very voice hushed to a low murmur, unheard at the distance of a few hundred yards. You may pass by within a half mile and not feel its existence.
Tower Creek and Tower Falls are located approximately three miles south of Roosevelt Junction on the Tower-Canyon road.
There is a Yellowstone General Store next to the trail-head. You can get snack or some covetous souvenirs. And there is a casket full of glittering stones of varied colors and shapes. We had had our breakfast there and bought cowboy hats and stickers of bisons and Yellowstone Falls to adorn our refrigerator at home.
Written 13 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
352renes
Santa Cruz, CA54 contributions
Jun 2018 • Couples
This is a lovely waterfall, but the viewpoint is becoming obstructed by trees--you can't really see the base of the waterfall anymore. If you have limited time, I would skip this. We actually thought the pull out right above the falls had a more impressive view--the water loops around a rock before plunging over the falls.
Written 29 June 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lysmekah
Chilliwack, Canada1,587 contributions
Aug 2014 • Friends
The Tower Falls are nice. It's a very short walk from the parking lot. But it's not amazing. So if you are prioritizing your time in the park then I would skip it. But if you are driving by and have 5 minutes, take a look. It's pretty.
Written 14 December 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ian
Fredericton, Canada83 contributions
Aug 2012 • Couples
Compared to some of the other waterfalls in Yellowstone, Tower Fall is less than impressive. There was a lot of construction around the site while I was there, so I was stuck in traffic for about 45 minutes after seeing Tower Fall, which only took five to ten minutes to view.
Written 31 January 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rex m
Pewaukee, WI209 contributions
Nov 2019
This is a big waterfall, but unfortunately you are not able to see it very well. Trees have grown in the way and you are no longer able to go to the bottom of the waterfall to see it. So it is mostly not visible. Do not waste your time taking the longer trail to the bottom where the river is, as there isn't a lot to see, and you can not see the waterfall from there. We went down and were disappointed. Not worth the stop in my opinion.
Written 14 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BTGIV
Huntsville, AL42 contributions
Jun 2016 • Family
There used to be a highly-recommended trail to the base of this waterfall, but it washed-out a few years back and the Park Service has never gotten around to replacing it. As a result, you can only see the top half or so of this waterfall from a viewing location several hundred yards away. My advice: Forget the hassle of fighting for a parking space to see these falls unless you just want to visit the excellent general store or use a real (flush) restroom. If seeing waterfalls is your thing, plan on visiting another one in the park that you can actually see.
Written 6 July 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
iLive4Adventuring
Honolulu, HI199 contributions
Sept 2015 • Couples
If you have time, stop by for a quick view of this pretty waterfall. It's located just a short walk from the parking lot on a paved trail. When we went (September) the general store was closed so no bathrooms available. Ample parking available at the time we went (around 9:00am).
Written 21 November 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MREA5
Cleveland, TN255 contributions
Jun 2015 • Family
This was the first time I was able to view these falls. We were hitting all the sights along this road, so I was very glad that we were not going SIMPLY FOR THIS stop. It IS a bit more touristy. The view, as others say, is good, but not great. If there is a crowd...it may be hard to get a good picture as there were only a couple of spots on the overlook where I was able to get a really good view/shot of the whole falls. It was pretty...just probably not worth driving from another area of the park to see. There is a short hike (maybe a tenth of a mile?) to the viewing area. It is on an incline which made it hard for my dad to do. It is paved. I DID think that the gift shop here was really good though. Bathrooms were deemed awful by our group. :(
Written 12 June 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
C L
South Bend, IN38 contributions
May 2015 • Solo
There's a short, easy hike from the Tower parking lot to the viewpoint overlooking the waterfall. The view of the waterfall is good, but not great, and the area is very "touristy." As others have already said, it's not worth going out of your way to see.
Written 7 June 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Janet
Spokane, Washington
Is Tower Falls accessible in July 2020 via hike? I understand the road is closed, but did they completely close it to all visitors?
Written 8 July 2020
Did you carry bear spray for this walk and on any other trails?. The USA National Parks site advises minimum group size of 3 in both Grand Tetons & Yellowstone & carry spray which we will acquire but there are only 2 of us. Will we need to await others to tag along with? We are in our 60s and have slowed down so doubt others will want to wait for us at a slower pace. There does not appear to be any reference on Tripadvisor regarding these safety matters.
We will be in the area in a hire car from 3 September until 15th staying at Teton Village, Gardiner & West Yellowstone.
Any advice welcomed.
Written 24 August 2018
I agree with above. Tower Falls is viewed from afar at a nice well designed walk to view. We are also in our 60s and did a lot of hiking on our own without the bear spray however it was July NOT September. The trails are very popular with hikers and we were being passed in both directions most of the time...maybe the animals are more active in Sept.? I would either rent the spray or be sure to hike mid day with others around. In July we were out and about by 6:30 am and going places till about 3 or 4. SO MUCH to see! No other place is like Yellowstone! enjoy!
Written 25 August 2018
I visited Tower Falls in 1977, and at that time, there was a latge boulder sitting right in the middle of the lip of the falls. At the time, it was said that the boulder could fall at any time and had already been there a long time, or it might not fall for over a hundred years. I would like to know if the boulder is still there, or has it gone over the falls?
Written 16 December 2016
There is a large-ish boulder at the lip, and the water pours around it. I don't know if it's the same boulder you saw, and I can't put a picture here. But there are other photos posted in September 2016 by TripAdvisor folks that show the lip of the falls.
Written 16 December 2016
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