Hiking the Fairy Falls Trail in Yellowstone National Park
Distance: 5.0 miles / 8.0 km
The Fairy Falls Trail is a Yellowstone National Park favorite because the hike to the beautiful 200 ft. waterfall is one of the easier trails found throughout the park.
On top of this, the hike is commonly combined with the popular Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook, as shown below.
Fairy Falls Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Fairy Falls Trail is located directly off of Grand Loop Road in two adjacent parking areas.
However, even with two parking lots, finding a spot at the Fairy Falls Trailhead can be fairly difficult by mid-morning because the Fairy Falls Trail is also the same trail as the popular Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook, and there is no direct connection to the overlook from the Grand Prismatic Spring itself.
Google Maps Directions: Fairy Falls Trailhead
Hiking Checklist - Yellowstone-Tetons
Here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in the Yellowstone-Teton area.
Hiking the Fairy Falls Trail
Overall, the hike to Fairy Falls is relatively easy with no notable elevation gain, unless you decide to hike the optional trail up to the Grand Prismatic Overlook.
Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook Junction
If you choose to add the Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook onto your hike to Fairy Falls, this small detour adds an extra 0.25 miles (0.4 km) and about 100 ft. (30.5 m) of elevation gain onto the hike.
If you’re only interested in the hike to Fairy Falls, go right to continue on the most direct trail.
Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook
There are a few things to know about the busy images shown below.
First, the Grand Prismatic Overlook is not always as busy as you see in these photos. If you visit earlier in the morning, which is when the photo below was taken, you’ll have a much more pleasant time at the overlook without the crowds of people.
Second, I want to stress that not all beautiful areas of Yellowstone National Park are as busy as this, and I highly encourage you to scroll through my long running list of things to do across the park. There are countless other trails throughout Yellowstone where you can have a much more quiet experience.
Read My Separate Post: Best Things to Do in Yellowstone
Rather than turning around after visiting the overlook, simply continue on the same trail to return back to the Fairy Falls Trail, as shown below.
Fairy Falls Junction
This is where the Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail meets back up with the trail to Fairy Falls.
Go left to continue hiking to the waterfall or right to return back to the parking area.
Fairy Falls Junction
Then, only 0.2 miles (0.3 km) down the trail, the Fairy Falls Trail splits to the left from the trail that continues on to Goose Lake.
After the Fairy Falls junction, the rest of the trail remains almost entirely flat, as you make your way through the Lodgepole pine forest to the waterfall.
Fairy Meadows Campground
At about half way between the waterfall and the junction shown above, the trail splits with the reservable Fairy Meadows Campground.
If you are interested in camping here or anywhere in the Yellowstone backcountry, make sure to secure your site as soon as you know your dates through the Yellowstone backcountry office.
As the trail nears Fairy Falls, the Lodgepole forests begin to clear, and the towering waterfall will start to become visible off in the distance.
Fairy Falls
For the amount of people that park at the Fairy Falls Trailhead, hardly any of the traffic makes their way as far as Fairy Falls, and even fewer hike to Imperial Geyser if you were to continue down the trail.
Additionally, you can expect Fairy Falls to have much more water if you’re planning your visit in the early summer when the snow is yet melting across Yellowstone.
