Mammoth Hot Springs

Undine Falls, Wyoming

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Yellowstone National Park has a number of very impressive waterfalls within its boundaries. Most of them can be visited without much difficulty. Undine Falls is a roadside waterfall that requires minimal effort to view. Just pull off the road…I think there might be a designated pull-off/parking area, though many vehicles just pull off to the side of the road anyway to view wildlife. (There were damaging floods in 2022, so I’m assuming that the pull-off would still be there, though it may be damaged.)

Undine Falls in June 2014

There’s a loop that goes around…it could be described as two connected loops. Undine Falls is on the northern portion of the upper loop. It’s not that far from Mammoth Hot Springs. Wraith Falls is essentially right across the road. They’re separated by barely a mile in distance. Wraith Falls requires a hike, whereas Undine Falls doesn’t. I think this was the area where I saw a bear on a slope, and I only noticed because of the above mentioned cars that were pulled off to the side of the road!

Directions

  1. Mammoth Hot Springs and Fort Yellowstone are found along US-89. Those essentially represent the northern entrance to Yellowstone National Park.
  2. If you head east on Grand Loop Road, you’ll be headed toward Undine Falls.
  3. Undine Falls is about 4 miles east of the intersection of US-89 and Grand Loop Road. If you’re headed east, it will be on the left side of the road.

Accessibility: 10/10 (easy)
Height: 100′
Distance of Hike: roadside

Where in the World is Undine Falls?

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Wraith Falls, Wyoming

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Wraith Falls in mid-July 2015

In Yellowstone National Park, the very well known Lower and Upper Yellowstone Falls can be found. In the park, though, are a number of other waterfalls. While some of the others are widely visited, a few are quieter, which might be nice if you’re looking for something a bit less busy.

Wraith Falls might be a good choice for the “less busy” in Yellowstone. On the hike to the falls, I only passed 2 or 3 other groups of people. I distinctly remember being slightly more worried about bears in the area since this area wasn’t as traversed. I didn’t see any bears or wildlife here, though just down the road, I do remember seeing a bear along a hillside.

The hike to Wraith Falls is fairly straightforward. It’s about 1/2 a mile to the falls from the parking area, which has enough space for 5 or 6 cars. I didn’t have any issue finding parking. The hike goes pretty quickly, and you’ll arrive at the falls in 15 minutes or so. You won’t be able to get particularly close to the falls because of the way the trail is set up. As you might be able to tell from the picture, there is a lot of debris in the way of the falls, preventing you from getting much closer. It’s still an interesting waterfall, looking much like a washboard.

Directions:

  1. Wraith Falls is found along the northern portion of the Grand Loop Road between US-89 and US-212. (I’m not 100% sure what roads are open during what times of the year, so check before you decide to visit if planning for Fall-Spring.)
  2. From Mammoth Hot Springs, head east along the Grand Loop Road.  The pullout for the falls is about 0.5 miles east of the Lava Creek Picnic Area. I don’t remember if the parking area was signed, but it was relatively easy to find.
  3. From the parking area, follow the short trail to the falls. There is a small portion of it that is uphill, but it isn’t difficult.

Accessiblity: 9/10 (easy)
Length of Hike: 1.0 mile round trip
Height: 79′

Where in the World is Wraith Falls?