Sight · Yellowstone National Park
A 70-foot waterfall with an optional climb to a basin view.
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 area
Black Sand Basin“Ahead is Black Sand Basin, a good choice for colorful pools without a long walk. Allow about half an hour for the branching boardwalk, starting beside the parking area.”
Plays on the road 1.8 mi from Mystic Falls in the Parkwolf Yellowstone Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“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
Mystic Falls is a 70-foot waterfall on the Little Firehole River in Yellowstone’s Upper Geyser Basin. The river drops in several steps through a narrow, wooded gorge. It’s worth choosing if you want a real waterfall walk rather than another quick thermal-area pullout. The Daisy Trail loop reaches the falls and continues to an overlook above the basin.
The approach crosses the Little Firehole and winds through conifer forest to the falls. Nearby thermal features can send steam across the river on colder days. At the cascade, look for the water splitting over several rocky ledges before gathering back into the stream.
The longer loop climbs about 500 feet on steep switchbacks before opening to a view across Upper Geyser Basin toward Old Faithful. If that climb isn’t for you, the waterfall is a good turnaround. For a close photo, keep the river in the foreground to show the drop; the overlook gives you the broader basin view.
The currently listed Daisy Trail approach is a 3.8-mile lollipop loop. Check trail access before heading out because routes can change. There’s no drinking water or restroom at the trailhead, and pets aren’t allowed.
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.
Keep exploring
ChallengingFairy Creek Trail11.3 mi · 7.5 hr · 0.5 mi awayA long backcountry traverse from geyser views to Imperial Geyser.
ChallengingSummit Lake Trail15.4 mi · 8.5 hr · 0.5 mi awayA long CDT walk to an alpine lake and backcountry hot springs.
ModerateMystic Falls Trail2.4 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.8 mi awayA creekside forest walk to a 70-foot waterfall.
EasyBiscuit Basin Trail0.6 mi · 45 min · 1 mi awayA short boardwalk loop through Yellowstone's blue pools and geysers.
EasyBlack Sand Basin Trail0.5 mi · 30 min · 1.8 mi awayShort boardwalk spurs past colorful hot springs and geysers.
ModerateMallard Creek Trail8.6 mi · 4.5 hr · 2.6 mi awayBurned woods, rocky climbs, and a high outcrop above Mallard Lake.
EasyOld Faithful to Morning Glory Pool Trail2.7 mi · 2 hr · 2.7 mi awayA level geyser walk ends at a spring changed by its visitors.
ModerateObservation Point–Solitary Geyser Loop1.9 mi · 2 hr · 2.7 mi awayA short climb trades switchbacks for Old Faithful from above.
Sight · 1 mi awayBiscuit BasinA short loop of colorful springs and a geyser that erupts often.
Sight · 1.3 mi awayArtemisia GeyserA deep blue pool that can erupt as a rolling boil.
Sight · 1.6 mi awayMorning Glory PoolA vivid hot spring at the end of a worthwhile basin walk.
Sight · 1.7 mi awayFan and Mortar GeysersTwo riverbank geysers share a system; eruptions are a bonus.
Sight · 1.7 mi awayDaisy GeyserA 75-foot geyser can shoot sideways across the basin.
Sight · 1.8 mi awayBlack Sand BasinColorful pools and a creekside geyser in a compact boardwalk visit.
Sight · 1.8 mi awayRiverside GeyserRiverside sends its eruption arcing across the Firehole River.
Sight · 1.8 mi awayGrotto GeyserThat twisted cone is worth a stop even between eruptions.Parkwolf’s Yellowstone ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
