Hiking the Mystic Falls Trail (Little Firehole Loop) in Yellowstone National Park
Distance (via Daisy Trailhead): 3.7 miles / 6.0 km
Elevation Gain: ~520 ft. / 158 m
The Mystic Falls Trail, also called the Mystic Falls Loop Trail, in Yellowstone National Park is a fun and easy day hike past the popular Biscuit Basin that leads to a beautiful 70-ft. (21-m) cascade in the Little Firehole River that is Mystic Falls!
That said, the Mystic Falls Trail can either be treated as a 2.8-mile (4.5-km) out-and-back hike to the waterfall or a 3.7-mile (6.0-km) loop, commonly called the Little Firehole Loop, that also leads to the Biscuit Basin Overlook.
In either case, both options are very popular among visitors and are great ways to escape the vast majority of the crowds in the nearby Biscuit Basin!
How Long is the Mystic Falls Loop Trail?
Since many hikers only explore parts of the full Mystic Falls Loop Trail, I’ve broken down each section to help you plan your adventure.
Mystic Falls Distances:
Daisy Trailhead to the Mystic Falls Trailhead: 0.4 miles (0.6 km)
Biscuit Basin Trailhead to the Mystic Falls Trailhead: 0.3 miles (0.5 km)
Mystic Falls Trailhead to the Mystic Falls Loop Trail: 0.3 miles (0.5 km)
Full Mystic Falls Loop Trail: 2.3 miles (3.7 km)
Mystic Falls Loop Trail to the Summit Lake Junction: 0.1 miles (0.2 km)
Summit Lake Junction to Mystic Falls: 0.6 miles (1.0 km)
Mystic Falls to Fairy Creek Junction: 0.5 miles (0.8 km)
Fairy Creek Junction to Biscuit Basin Overlook: 0.5 miles (0.8 km)
Biscuit Basin Overlook to Mystic Falls Loop Junction: 0.6 miles (1.0 km)
Total Distance: 3.7 miles (6.0 km)
Mystic Falls Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Mystic Falls Trail is located in one of two places.
First, visitors can park at Biscuit Basin, the same parking area that serves the short boardwalk loop through Biscuit Basin, or there is the option to park at the Daisy Trailhead, directly off Grand Loop Road.
Personally, I prefer to park at the Daisy Trailhead because it is a lot less competitive than the small parking lot in Biscuit Basin, and it is only 0.1 miles (0.2 km) longer each way to reach the start of the Mystic Falls Trail on the west side of Biscuit Basin.
Google Maps Directions: Mystic Falls Trailhead (Biscuit Basin) / Mystic Falls Trailhead (Daisy)
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 Mystic Falls Trail
Since I personally prefer to begin the Mystic Falls Trail from the Daisy Trailhead, rather than the much busier trailhead in Biscuit Basin, this is the beginning of the hike from the trailhead off Grand Loop Road.
The nice thing about the Daisy Trail is that it is a very flat and easy hike to the true trailhead on the west side of Biscuit Basin—not to mention, it’s a lot less crowded in comparison!
Little Firehole River
This is where the Daisy Trail crosses the Little Firehole River for the first and only time on the hike to Mystic Falls.
Mystic Falls-Biscuit Basin Junction
After 0.4 miles (0.6 km) from the Daisy Trailhead, or 0.3 miles (0.5 km) from the Biscuit Basin Trailhead, both routes reach the true Mystic Falls Trailhead on the west side of Biscuit Basin.
Once here, go left if you’re coming from the Daisy Trailhead or straight if you’re coming from the Biscuit Basin Trailhead to continue to the start of the Mystic Falls Loop.
As always, I think it’s important to emphasize the need to be prepared when hiking in Yellowstone National Park—especially because the Mystic Falls Trail is exactly where several hikers were mauled by a Grizzly in early 2026.
Now, I don’t write that to discourage anyone from hiking the Mystic Falls Trail, as I have hiked it several times and have had great experiences, but I mention this to say: don’t get complacent!
Bear spray is not optional when hiking in the Yellowstone–Teton area.
This small meadow, just before the start of the Mystic Falls Loop, is often one of the muddier spots on the entire trail, which is why there are paths in two directions.
Mystic Falls Loop Trail (Little Firehole Loop)
After about 0.7 miles (1.1 km) since leaving the Daisy Trailhead, or 0.3 miles (0.5 km) from the west side of Biscuit Basin, the Mystic Falls Trail reaches this junction for the start of the Mystic Falls Loop, also called the Little Firehole Loop.
That said, the fastest way to Mystic Falls is to go left, while the fastest way to the Biscuit Basin Overlook is to go right.
Personally, I recommend going left toward Mystic Falls first because the trail directly to the overlook is much steeper than hiking in the clockwise direction, which is more gradual overall.
Regarding my thoughts above, I chose to go left in the clockwise direction around the Mystic Falls Loop.
Mystic Falls-Summit Lake Junction
After just 0.1 miles (0.2 km) from the start of the loop, the Mystic Falls Trail splits once again, this time with the trail that leads to Summit Lake, which is also part of the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) that spans the United States from Mexico to Canada.
That aside, go right at this split to continue on the Little Firehole Loop toward Mystic Falls.
After about 0.25 miles (0.4 km) from the beginning of the Mystic Falls Loop, the trail starts paralleling the Little Firehole River, which is a nice sign that Mystic Falls is not far ahead!
With about 0.1 miles (0.2 km) to go before the best viewpoint from the third switchback, Mystic Falls can be seen in the distance for the first time on the entire hike!
This is the second switchback leading up to the best Mystic Falls viewpoint.
Mystic Falls
After roughly 0.7 miles (1.1 km) from the start of the loop, the Mystic Falls Trail reaches the best viewpoint of the 70-ft. (21 m) waterfall at the third switchback on the climb up to the Ferry Creek Trail!
Is it Possible to Hike Down to the Bottom of Mystic Falls?
Yes, but I don’t believe it is worth the effort.
I say this because the best view of Mystic Falls is actually from the trail itself, not from the bottom.
On top of this, the best route to the bottom of Mystic Falls is a very short but steep scramble down the cliff from the third switchback, which is most definitely not feasible for people of all abilities.
After Mystic Falls, the trail continues to climb a few more switchbacks on the hike up to the Fairy Creek Trail. This is where the majority of the elevation gain is located when hiking the loop in the clockwise direction.
That said, it’s only 0.5 miles (0.8 km) from this point to the top of the hill, which I personally think is easier than coming from the other direction.
After the third switchback, the Mystic Falls Trail typically becomes much less trafficked for the rest of the hike to the Biscuit Basin Overlook and back to the beginning of the loop.
There are a few reasons I prefer hiking the loop clockwise rather than visiting the Biscuit Basin Overlook first.
For starters, the switchbacks past Mystic Falls are slightly more gradual and less eroded.
However, what I like the best is that hiking clockwise leads to the highest point of the hike fastest, meaning that once the trail reaches the Fairy Creek junction just ahead, the rest of the hike to the beginning is all downhill!
Since there is quite a bit of elevation change on the full Mystic Falls Loop Trail, some hikers may want to bring trekking poles—especially for the steep switchbacks after the Biscuit Basin Overlook.
Mystic Falls-Fairy Creek Junction
This is where the Mystic Falls Trail finally reaches the top of the hill and the highest point on the entire loop.
From here, go right, and the Mystic Falls Loop Trail will begin following the Fairy Creek Trail toward the Biscuit Basin Overlook, about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) from this point.
After the switchbacks above Mystic Falls, the rest of the loop back to the beginning is almost entirely downhill!
In addition to poles, I highly recommend wearing a hooded sun shirt to stay safe on the Mystic Falls Trail—and note that these photos were taken shortly after sunrise, which is why it may look like there is quite a bit of shade on the loop.
Biscuit Basin Overlook
This is the view from the top of the Biscuit Basin Overlook!
That said, this viewpoint reminds me a lot of the view from the top of Purple Mountain, as the two look out across much of Yellowstone’s most popular geyser basins along the Firehole River, though the Biscuit Basin Overlook is much easier to reach in comparison!
Past Biscuit Basin Overlook, the Mystic Falls Loop Trail starts working its way over to the five fairly steep switchbacks that lead back to the beginning of the loop.
This is exactly why I previously said that hiking directly to Mystic Falls first is the more popular option and the route I personally prefer to go.
This is the beginning of the steep and very rapid descent back to the start of the Mystic Falls Loop Trail.
That said, some hikers may want to bring trekking poles for this section alone, as the narrow, eroded, and sometimes overgrown trail can be easier to navigate with poles—especially the first switchback.
This first switchback is the steepest part of the descent to the beginning of the Mystic Falls Loop.
This is the third of five switchbacks on the steep descent to the beginning of the loop.
This is the fifth and final switchback before the Mystic Falls Trail reaches the original junction and the initial trail that leads back to Biscuit Basin.
Mystic Falls Loop Junction (Little Firehole Loop)
After 2.3 miles (3.7 km) since the beginning of the Mystic Falls Loop, or 3.0 miles (4.8 km) since leaving the Daisy Trailhead, the trail finally reaches the original loop junction.
Once here, go left to begin the 0.3-mile (0.5 km) hike back to Biscuit Basin and either trailhead shortly thereafter.
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