Distance (Trail Only): 2.3 miles / 3.7 km

The Fern Cascade Loop Trail in Yellowstone National Park is a quiet, easy, and, best of all, hidden day hike in an otherwise very busy area, largely due to the fact that most visitors don’t even know the trail exists!

This is because the Fern Cascade Loop Trail is tucked away behind the Old Faithful employee housing area, giving the impression that visitors are not allowed access to the trailhead within.

That is not true, and only parking is not allowed within the employee housing area, meaning there is a bit of a walk from the Old Faithful area to get to the start of the hike. However, there is also the option to start the hike from the Howard Eaton Trailhead located directly alongside the loop, but for reasons discussed in more detail in the parking section below, I recommend against starting from the Howard Eaton Trailhead.

All that to say, the Fern Cascade Loop Trail is a great option for those looking to escape the crowds in the busy Old Faithful area, but, speaking honestly, it is hard to recommend the loop if you’re a first-time Yellowstone visitor. I say this because there is so much more I recommend seeing first over this out-of-the-way, mostly forested loop, and it took me about seven or more visits to Yellowstone before I finally found the time to make it happen!

How Long is the Fern Cascade Loop Trail?

Since some visitors only hike part of the full Fern Cascade Loop Trail, I’ve broken down each section to help you plan your adventure.

Fern Cascade Loop Distances:

Old Faithful Ranger Station to Imperial Road: 0.25 miles (0.4 km)
Imperial Road to Fern Cascade Loop Trailhead: 0.35 miles (0.6 km)
Fern Cascade Loop Trailhead to the Fern Cascades Junction: 0.6 miles (1.0 km)
- Fern Cascades Trail (Roundtrip): 0.1 miles (0.2 km)
Fern Cascades Junction to Jewel Road Junction: 1.05 miles (1.7 km)
Jewel Road Junction to the Howard Eaton Trailhead: 0.2 miles (0.3 km)
Howard Eaton Trailhead to Imperial Road: 0.35 miles (0.6 km)

Total Distance (Trail Only): 2.3 miles (3.7 km)

Fern Cascade Loop Trail Yellowstone National Park Wyoming — Fern Cascade Loop Trail

Fern Cascade Loop Trailhead Parking

Parking for the Fern Cascade Trail is located in one of two places.

First, hikers have the option to park near the Old Faithful Ranger Station and U.S. Post Office. This is the same general parking area that serves the busy Upper Geyser Basin Trail and everything that surrounds Old Faithful.

Alternatively, hikers can park at the Howard Eaton Trailhead directly off Grand Loop Road, which is the closest parking area because it is located directly along the Fern Cascade Loop, though it is not the trailhead I personally prefer.

I say this because I believe the Fern Cascade Loop is best enjoyed when hiked counterclockwise, beginning from the hidden trailhead within the Old Faithful employee housing area. This way, the hike to Iron Spring Creek is much more direct and less confusing, since the Jewel Road Junction is a somewhat vague and hidden turn when hiking up from the Howard Eaton Trailhead.

Google Maps Directions: Fern Cascade Loop Trailhead (Old Faithful Ranger Station) / Fern Cascade Loop Trailhead (Howard Eaton)

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 Fern Cascade Loop Trail

Walking to the Trailhead

To begin hiking from the Old Faithful Ranger Station, follow the paved path across the two roads that lead in and out of the Old Faithful area and Grand Loop Road beyond.

Old Faithful Employee Housing Area (Imperial Road)

This is where the paved path first reaches the Old Faithful employee housing area on the far side of Grand Loop Road.

When writing this, I thought about providing specific step-by-step instructions for how to reach the true Fern Cascade Trailhead, but the housing and maintenance area always seems to look a little different from year to year.

For this reason, I think it’s easiest to simply say: go left once the path reaches Imperial Road, and follow the roads to the far southwest side of the housing area to find the hidden trailhead at the pin linked below.

Google Maps Directions: Fern Cascade Loop Trailhead

West Fern Cascade Loop Trailhead

This is where the Fern Cascade Loop Trail officially begins on the far southwest side of the employee housing area.

This is the same location as the pin linked above.

Immediately after leaving the trailhead, the Fern Cascade Loop starts climbing.

However, the steepest part of the ascent to the Fern Cascades junction only lasts about 0.25 miles (0.4 km) and gains just 190 ft. (58 m) over 0.6 miles (1.0 km) to the side trail that leads down to Iron Spring Creek.

This is where the Fern Cascade Loop passes the 'junction' for what is often labeled on maps as the official trail behind the employee housing area, though it is not maintained and doesn’t look like it has been for many years.

Since the Fern Cascade Loop is almost always climbing or descending, some hikers may want to bring trekking poles, which can certainly be useful here and on countless different day hikes across Yellowstone National Park, including the nearby Observation Point Trail.

This is where the Fern Cascade Loop Trail reaches the 0.25-mile (0.4 km) mark and levels out significantly from the initial steep ascent, meaning the rest of the hike to the Fern Cascades junction and the top of the loop is much more gradual.

Fern Cascades Loop Trail Yellowstone National Park Wyoming — Fern Cascade Loop Trail

Fern Cascade Loop-Fern Cascades Junction

After 0.6 miles (1.0 km) from the trailhead within the employee housing area, or 1.2 miles (1.9 km) from the Old Faithful Ranger Station, the Fern Cascade Loop reaches the junction for the side trail that leads down to Iron Spring Creek.

Once here, go right to leave the loop toward the Fern Cascades, just a short distance ahead.

Fern Cascades Trail Yellowstone National Park Wyoming — Fern Cascades Trail

Just a few steps after leaving the loop, the Fern Cascades Trail splits into two separate paths that lead to separate viewpoints along Iron Spring Creek.

Personally, I think the downstream path to the right is much more beautiful than the path to the left, but I recommend checking out both, as the two side trails only combine to about 0.1 miles (0.2 km).

This is the path to Iron Spring Creek on the left.

Fern Cascades (Iron Spring Creek)

This is the end of the first side trail on the left, just upstream of the waterfall below the second path on the right.

This is the path to Iron Spring Creek on the right.

Fern Cascades (Iron Spring Creek)

This is the end of the path on the right and, in my opinion, the much more beautiful of the two sides!

However, there is no view of the waterfall from the downstream viewpoint, as it is located just out of view beneath the trail, meaning the only way to get there is to scramble off-trail.

Fern Cascade Loop-Fern Cascades Junction

This is where the short side trail returns to the Fern Cascade Loop.

Once here, there’s either the option to go left to return to the Old Faithful employee housing area on the shortest possible trail, roughly 0.6 miles (1.0 km) away, or to go right to continue around the loop toward the Howard Eaton Trailhead and the original path that crossed the three roads from the Old Faithful Ranger Station, about 1.6 miles (2.6 km) away.

Personally, I like to go right to complete the full loop since it isn’t all that difficult—not to mention, the long loop avoids repeating the walk through the employee housing area.

Regarding my thoughts above, I chose to go right and continue around the full Fern Cascade Loop toward the Howard Eaton Trailhead off Grand Loop Road.

Since there is so much exposure on the Fern Cascade Loop Trail, I highly recommend wearing a hooded sun shirt to stay safe—especially considering that the entire trail sits well above 7,000 ft. (2,134 m).

Fern Cascades Loop Hike Yellowstone National Park Wyoming — Fern Cascade Loop Trail

Just before the Fern Cascade Loop Trail turns north to start making its way back to Grand Loop Road, the trail begins paralleling this unnamed marsh along the southeastern side of the loop, which, in my opinion, serves as a nice mental checkpoint when much of the hike looks the same.

Fern Cascade Loop Hike Yellowstone National Park Wyoming — Fern Cascade Loop Trail

This is where the Fern Cascade Loop starts heading directly north toward the highest point on the loop and Jewel Road beyond.

This is the highest point on the Fern Cascade Loop Trail, meaning the rest of the hike to the Howard Eaton Trailhead and the Old Faithful Ranger Station is almost entirely downhill.

Fern Cascade Hike Yellowstone National Park Wyoming — Fern Cascade Loop Trail

On most busy days throughout the summer travel season, it is not uncommon to be the only one—or the only group—on the entire trail, as very few park visitors even know the Fern Cascade Loop exists!

That said, hiking with bear spray is always essential in the Yellowstone–Teton area, but even more so in a quiet, densely wooded area like this.

The nice thing about the east side of the loop is that it is much more gradual than the west side immediately following the trailhead in the employee housing area.

Fern Cascades Hike Yellowstone National Park Wyoming — Fern Cascade Loop Trail

Shortly before the Fern Cascade Loop reaches Jewel Road, the trail becomes a little more vague, which is why I previously mentioned that hiking the loop clockwise is a bit more confusing than the direction shown here.

Fern Cascade Loop-Jewel Road Junction

With about 0.2 miles (0.3 km) remaining before the Fern Cascade Loop reaches the Howard Eaton Trailhead off Grand Loop Road, the trail reaches Jewel Road.

From this point, both directions can be taken to return to the employee housing area, but the official Fern Cascade Loop Trail continues to the right, which is the direction shown below.

Fern Cascade Loop-Howard Eaton (Trailhead) Junction

Just before Jewel Road meets Grand Loop Road at the bottom of the hill, the trail passes the Howard Eaton Trailhead, the same 2.9-mile (4.7 km) section that connects this trailhead with the end of the Lone Star Geyser Trail and provides visitors with a way to make a long loop out of both adventures.

In any case, go left to follow the path around the small trailhead parking area, just before the gate, and the Fern Cascade Loop will begin paralleling Grand Loop Road until it returns to the employee housing area.

What is the Howard Eaton Trail?

The Howard Eaton Trail is a historic trail that first opened in 1923 and once stretched roughly 157 miles (253 km) across much of Yellowstone.

However, over the decades, the trail was rerouted, altered, and gradually abandoned as park priorities and budgets changed. Today, only scattered segments of the original route remain.

These surviving sections include Old Faithful to the Lone Star Geyser (2.9 miles / 4.7 km), Bunsen Peak to Mammoth Springs, also called the Golden Gate, (4.1 miles / 6.6 km), Fishing Bridge to Canyon (13.6 miles / 21.9 km), and Cascade Lake to Ice Lake, often called Canyon Village, (11.1 miles / 17.9 km), totaling about 31.7 miles (51 km) in all.

This is the path on the left that bypasses the small parking area.

This utility corridor is the other side of the Fern Cascade Loop that some maps label as the official trail, just like the split mentioned at the beginning of this article.

However, the real trail does not follow the power lines and instead follows the trail that more closely parallels Grand Loop Road on the far side.

This section between the Howard Eaton Trailhead and Imperial Road is just over 0.3 miles (0.5 km), leaving about 0.25 miles (0.4 km) to return to the Old Faithful Ranger Station from the alternative trailhead.

At this clearing, stay to the right to continue on the most direct path to Imperial Road.

This is where the Fern Cascade Loop Trail more noticeably starts returning to the Old Faithful employee housing area.

Just before the Fern Cascade Loop returns to Imperial Road, there is the option to go right to rejoin the same paved path immediately after the crosswalk on Grand Loop Road.

East Fern Cascade Trailhead (Imperial Road)

This is where the Fern Cascade Loop Trail officially ends at Imperial Road, located just a few steps up the road from the paved path at the very beginning of this article.

That said, go right, then right again, to begin the final 0.25-mile (0.4 km) walk back across Grand Loop Road and the inbound and outbound roads for Old Faithful to return to the Old Faithful Ranger Station.