Colonnade Falls

Colonnade Falls is a broad, paired waterfall on the Bechler River in southwest Yellowstone's Cascade Corner. The river spills over two shelves into a wooded canyon, and the named overlook gives you both drops and their plunge pool. This is a backcountry destination, not a pullout. Save it for a long hike day when the ford is passable.

The direct route starts at Bechler Ranger Station, reached by Cave Falls Road from Ashton, Idaho. From the trailhead between the historic station and corral, it is about 18.8 miles round trip on a mostly level route. The trail crosses Boundary Creek on a suspension bridge, runs through Bechler Meadows and enters Bechler Canyon; a short spur leads to the falls. The meadows can be marshy, and there is an unavoidable ford of the Bechler River that can be thigh-deep and cold. Check current trail and ford conditions with the park before you commit. Late summer is usually the driest time for the meadows.

You can hear the falls before reaching the spur. At the overlook, the upper and lower shelves read as one broad cascade, with the river dropping into a canyon pool. If you're already making the long hike, the trail continues upstream to Iris Falls, about 0.4 mile beyond Colonnade.

Members of the Hague Survey named the falls in 1885. A colonnade is a row of columns, but no reason for the name was recorded. Nearby columnar basalt or the paired drops are possible explanations, not settled history.

From the established overlook, compose both shelves together and keep some of the pool below them in frame. That shows how the upper drop feeds into the larger lower cascade and keeps the canyon setting in the picture.