Day trail passes prismatic spring, geysers, waterfall in Yellowstone National Park

Grand Prismatic Spring with Excelsior Geyser Crater beyond it.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Topo map for Fairy Falls Trail.

Hot spring largest
in United States,
No. 3 in world

The multi-colored Grand Prismatic Spring, an array of geysers, and a 197-foot waterfall await day hikers on Yellowstone National Park’s Fairy Falls Trail.

Combined with the Fountain Flat Drive, the trail runs 5.2-miles. If going to see Old Faithful, this is a perfect nearby trail to hike the same day.

To reach the trail’s start, from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, take U.S. Hwy. 191 north into the park to the Grand Loop Road. Park at the trailhead for Fountain Flat Drive on the highway’s northwest side.

From the lot, head northwest on the wide and gravel-surfaced Fountain Flat Drive. Older maps may refer to this route as “National Park Avenue.” The trail starts amid a number of small geysers. Till Geyser is across the road to the southeast while River, Catfish and Flood geysers are to the northeast.

The trail crosses the Firehole River on an old steel trestle bridge and heads into the Midway Geyser Basin. A ridge runs on the trail’s west side with a peak soaring to 7622 feet.

Grand Prismatic Spring
The hillsides to the east will look a bit bare thanks to the 1988 forest fires. For hikers, one benefit of the fire was that prior to that time, no vista really was available of the prismatic spring unless you were in a helicopter.

As rounding the mountain’s northeast side, just 0.6 miles from the trailhead, is the Grand Prismatic Spring. The beautiful and oft-photographed wonder boasts multicolored rings of algae. As the water temperature changes, so does the kind of thermophile living in it, resulting in a rainbow of colors. The water’s average temperature is 160 degrees F.

About 370 feet in diameter, Grand Prismatic is the largest hot spring in the United States and the third largest in the world. It reaches a depth of 121 feet.

Be sure to bring polarized sunglasses. By wearing them, you can see the spring’s rainbow colors reflected in the steam rising off the water.

A 400-foot stretch of the trail known as “Picture Hill” provides a grand vista of the spring. The smaller Excelsior Geyser Crater sits beyond the geological wonder.

Walk to waterfalls
If geysers and a prismatic spring weren’t enough, there’s also a waterfall. To see it, continue walking; just northwest of the prismatic spring, at a mile from the trailhead, the Fountain Flat Drive junctions with the Fairy Falls Trail. Go left/west onto the Fairy Falls Trail.

Fairly flat, it cuts through lodgepole pines as hugging a mountainside. To the north is the Fairy Meadows. Twin Buttes, their summits bare, rises to over 7600 feet in the northwest.

A wooden bridge crosses a small creek flowing out of an unnamed lake in the mountain to the south. The mountain tops out at 7542 feet.

Upon reaching the spur for the OD1 campsite, you’ve come 1.7 miles from the trailhead.

Fairy Falls
From there, the trail gently rolls over the base of the ridgeline through quaking aspen and wildflowers. Pause and listen for sound waves from the upcoming waterfalls reverberating off the cliffside. The waterfalls sits on the other side of the next peak ahead.

At about 2.6 miles from trailhead, you’ll arrive at Fairy Falls. Fairy Creek tumbles nearly 20 stories over a steep cliff, making Fairy Falls the tallest frontcountry waterfall in the Greater Yellowstone region.

The waterfalls’ base supports a variety of vegetation. If looking for a place to picnic, the rocks downstream from the falls where raspberry bushes grow make a perfect spot.

The falls also marks a good spot to turn back. Alternately, if you do have a little extra energy to burn, you can continue on to see Imperial and Spray geysers, the former of which is the closer at 0.7 miles (one-way) ahead.

Learn more about national park day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at America’s National Parks guidebook.

Minneapolis Star-Tribune runs article about our hiking guidebooks, adventures

My son Kieran and I. Photo courtesy of Star-Tribune.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune ran an article this morning in its Outdoors section about my hiking guidebooks and the best day hikes to take children on in northwest Minnesota. There’s also two cool pictures of my son Kieran and me hiking the Fairy Falls Trail near Stillwater, Minn. The article, “Hot on the trail: Regional trail guidebook author collects his favorite hikes” and its sidebar, “Trail guide author recommends five great hikes,” starts on page O1 or can be read online. A special thanks to the Star-Tribune for the great article and coverage!

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Four-story waterfall awaits day hikers

Silver Creek flows over rim of Fairy Falls.

Short hike heads to historic Fairy Falls near Stillwater

NOTE: Due to COVID-19, Fairy Falls is closed. For updates on the closure and others in the St. Croix National National Scenic Riverway, please visit the National Park service website or call the St. Croix River Visitor Center at 715-483-2274.

Day hikers can enjoy a little-known four-story waterfall in eastern Minnesota on the Fairy Falls Trail.

For years, the short quarter-mile round trip was located on private land but is now operated by National Park Service as part of a 55-acre addition to the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. The Fairy Falls Day Use Area is open 8 a.m.–8 p.m. daily.

To reach the falls, from downtown Stillwater, take Minn. Hwy. 95 north. Turn left/northwest onto Minn. Hwy. 96 then right/north onto County Road 11/Boom Road. The county road separates from Boom Road and goes left/west and becomes Fairy Falls Road North as heading up a hill. Park along the west side of Orwell Avenue, which is directly across from the day use area. The trailhead is a footpath to the right of the yellow directional sign.

Topo map of Fairy Falls Trail.
Click for larger version.

The footpath heads through a hardwood forest with a number of birch trees. Be careful of not taking narrow sidepaths that meander through the woods away from the falls.

Within about 0.1 miles, the trail reaches the top of the falls, where Silver Creek drops into a deep pool in the gorge below then continues on its way to the St. Croix River. A wooden bridge crosses the creek about a dozen feet from the waterfalls’ rim.

The trail can be followed around the gorge’s rim, but unless late in fall or early in spring when the foliage is light, the glen isn’t visible below. Still, it’s a pleasant walk with a few glacial erratics along the way.

Spur trail to gorge bottom
You can take a spur trail, tucked against one gorge wall, down to the creek bottom. There are no signs indicating the way to go, but it looks more like a washed out draw than a walking path. Still, it’s traversable, though you shouldn’t try it during night, if the ground is wet, or when with young children. The fall is a long way down.

The bluff sits atop sandstone laid here about 500 million years old during the Cambrian. Floodwaters from melting glaciers swept through the river valley some 8000 years ago at the end of the last ice age, carving out the sandstone, which Silver Creek has further eroded back. Today, the thick beds exposed along the river are known as the “St. Croixian series.”

During spring when Silver Creek is higher due to snow melt, those who hike down the bluff’s side can feel mist from the falls. There’s a shallow cave behind the base of the falls, and if you don’t mind getting wet, you can go into it and see the waterfall from the inside.

By early summer, the gorge is thick with greenery. During autumn, look for Jack in the Pulpit; the bright orange berries that lie under the pulpit add another tinge of color to the scene.

Shadow of the falls
During spring and autumn, Silver Creek can be hiked a ways downstream. From the falls, the creek flows about a quarter mile before spilling into the St. Croix.

In days past, the falls flowed heavily through the summer. By the early 1950s, it fell off during late summer, as the lake feeding Silver Creek dried to a wetlands.

The falls and glen – which Native Americans living in the area called Ugua-Wah-to-gi-di-big, or “shadow of the falls” – were popular with local in the 1890s through the early 1900s when hundreds of people would walk there from Stillwater to pick pink crocuses and violets as well as to enjoy picnics. Postcards even were made of the falls.

After the hike, you can add to your day by driving on Hwy. 95 north of County Road 11 to the St. Croix Boom Site Trail, which is a few hundred feet up the highway on the right/east side.

Read more about day hiking the scenic riverway in my guidebook Hittin’ the Trail: Day Hiking the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway.

Best hikes for seeing Yellowstone's wonders

The Fairy Falls Trail passes the Grand Prismatic Spring
in Yellowstone National Park.

Try these 5 routes for geysers, wildlife, waterfalls

Among the best ways to see Yellowstone National Park’s major sights is via a day hike. Just five short trails will allow you to see each of the park’s highlights – geysers, hot springs, wildlife, waterfalls and canyons.

Old Faithful
Yellowstone’s most famous geyser erupts every 90 minutes or so, with water spewing more than 100 feet high for anywhere from 1.5 to 5 minutes. Most people see the geyser from the Old Faithful Boardwalk, so it’s a crowded path. Instead, watch it from the Observation Point Trail. There are some steep spots, but crowds are smaller, and you’ll see it from a unique vantage point.

Lamar Valley
Known as the “Serengeti of North America,” the valley contains the greatest collection of large animals in North America: bison and elk herds, grizzlies in the woods, wolf packs, black bears, and osprey and bald eagles in the skies. For the most intimate experience, hike a segment of the 5.3-mile Lamar Valley Trail (trailhead is east of Lamar Ranger Station). Dawn and dusk are the best times to see active animals.

Grand Prismatic Spring
The beautiful and oft-photographed hot spring boasts multicolored rings of algae. As the water temperature changes, so does the kind of thermophile living in it, resulting in a rainbow of colors. The prismatic spring is best seen from the 2.5-mile Fairy Falls Trail, which heads to a 197-foot waterfall and leaves from Grand Loop Road north of Old Faithful.

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
The Yellowstone River carved out this fantastic canyon below the 308-foot high Lower Falls. The 3.8-mile North Rim Trail runs along the canyon’s northwest wall. Parts of the trail are paved and there’s only 250 feet of elevation change.

Bechler Basin waterfalls
Located in the park’s southwest corner, the basin boasts dozens of waterfalls. From the Bachler Ranger Station, try the 3-mile round trip Cave Falls Trail, which follows the Falls River to Bechler Falls. The hike is best done in August and September when the mosquito population is the lowest, as the bogs are drier.

Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces
These hot pools cascading over travertine terraces are a spectacular sight in the park’s northern section. The disconnected Mammoth Hot Springs boardwalks, accessible from Grand Loop Road, weaves through and around the springs for nearly 4 miles of hiking. The pools’ temperatures here can reach up to 163 degrees F.

Learn about other great national park day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at America’s National Parks guidebook.