Sight · Yellowstone National Park
A short climb to a 79-foot cascade on Lupine Creek.
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
Wraith Falls Trailhead“You're approaching the Wraith Falls trailhead, where a short walk leads to water fanning down a sloping rock face. Allow thirty to sixty minutes for about a mile out and back, with steep, rocky steps near the viewpoint.”
Plays as you drive up to Wraith 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
Wraith Falls is a 79-foot cascade on Lupine Creek in northern Yellowstone's Mammoth area. It spreads down a sloping rock face rather than dropping in a single plunge. Keep it in mind if you're already driving the north end and want a short waterfall stop. The walk is about 1 mile round trip, or roughly 30 to 60 minutes. By late summer or fall, the water can shrink to a trickle.
The trail starts at a roadside pullout about half a mile east of Lava Creek Picnic Area on Grand Loop Road. It crosses sagebrush meadow, marshland and mixed conifer forest before climbing the final 245 feet over steep, rocky steps to the upper viewpoint. The rough finish makes this a poor fit for anyone who needs an accessible trail. The maintained route ends at the viewpoint, above the falls.
From the upper viewpoint, frame the whole rock face with the creek and fallen timber below it; that shows how broadly the water fans over the slope. The waterfall was named in 1885 by members of the U.S. Geological Survey's Hague parties. Later accounts link “Wraith” to the thin, ghostlike spread of water, though the original reason for the name wasn't formally recorded.
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
EasyWraith Falls Trail0.8 mi · 45 min · 0.3 mi awayA short meadow walk ends at a 79-foot waterfall viewpoint.
ModerateLava Creek Trail8.4 mi · 5 hr · 0.5 mi awayA creek canyon leads to a 60-foot waterfall and river junction.
ChallengingBlacktail Deer Creek to Yellowstone River Trail7.4 mi · 4.5 hr · 1.9 mi awayGrassy hills lead down to a river bridge, then back up.
ModerateRescue Creek Trail8 mi · 5.5 hr · 1.9 mi awayA Northern Range crossing through meadows, forest and sagebrush.
EasyBlacktail Ponds Spur Trail2.2 mi · 1.1 hr · 2.1 mi awayEasy 2.2-mile connector between Blacktail Deer Creek and Lava Creek trails.
EasyForces of the Northern Range Self-guided Trail0.5 mi · 45 min · 3.2 mi awayEleven exhibit stops on an easy half-mile boardwalk walk.
ModerateSnow Pass Trail3 mi · 2.5 hr · 4.6 mi awayA steep, forested climb to a 7,450-foot pass.
ModerateMammoth Hot Springs Lower Terraces Trail1.8 mi · 1.3 hr · 4.6 mi awayWalk boardwalks past colorful travertine shelves that keep rebuilding.
Picnic area · 0.5 mi awayLava Creek Picnic AreaFive tables beside Lava Creek; two trails start across the road.
Sight · 0.9 mi awayUndine FallsA 60-foot waterfall breaks into three drops just off the road.
Sight · 2.9 mi awayOsprey FallsA hard hike to a 150-foot waterfall in Sheepeater Canyon.
Sight · 3.1 mi awayMount Everts ViewpointA 37-day survival story above layers separated by 60 million years
Campground · 4.4 mi awayMammoth CampgroundA base where elk sometimes wander among the campsites.
Sight · 4.6 mi awayMammoth Hot Springs Lower TerracesHeat-loving microbes tint travertine orange, green and brown.
Sight · 4.6 mi awayFort YellowstoneAn easy walk through the Army post that became park headquarters.
Visitor center · 4.6 mi awayAlbright Visitor CenterA practical Mammoth stop for trip planning and Fort Yellowstone history.Parkwolf’s Yellowstone ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
