Sight · Yellowstone National Park
A 45-foot waterfall with rainbow-prone spray in the Bechler backcountry.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Yellowstone Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Yellowstone National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Yellowstone audio tourRecorded for this place
Bechler Ranger Station and Backcountry Office“You're nearing Bechler Ranger Station, a useful first stop for exploring this remote corner of the park. The backcountry office has maps and ranger advice for hikes through the meadows and waterfall country.”
Plays as you drive up to Iris Falls in the Parkwolf Yellowstone Tour Guide.
“First time driving through a national park. We used the Yellowstone tour on grand loop Road and it’s just like having a tour guide in your car with you.”
Guide
Iris Falls is a 45-foot waterfall on the Bechler River, reached from the Bechler River Trail, just upstream from Colonnade Falls. This is a backcountry destination, not a roadside pullout. The National Park Service describes the Bechler River Trail as a strenuous, roughly 30-mile one-way backpacking route. The exact distance to Iris Falls, and which crossings its approach requires, aren't documented in the sources I could verify. Check the route and river conditions before planning around it: Yellowstone rivers can be swift and cold, and crossings are hazardous. Overnight backcountry camping requires a permit, and pets aren't allowed on trails.
The river drops about 45 feet over a broad ledge into a rocky pool, with evergreen forest close around it. Spray often makes a rainbow here, so give the falls a moment if the mist is catching light.
Hague Survey members named the falls in 1885. The name may refer to rainbows made by the spray, or to Iris, the goddess of the rainbow; the historical account doesn't settle which explanation they intended.
Wildlife
713 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
743 sightingsWolfMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
5,273 sightingsBisonMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
3,258 sightingsElkMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
397 sightingsMooseMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
1,494 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Yellowstone. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Parkwolf’s Yellowstone ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
