Yellowstone National Park, WY · MT · ID
A short woods loop slips down to a hidden cascade.
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
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 trailhead
Fern Cascades and Howard Eaton Trailhead“Howard Eaton Trailhead is ahead, with a wooded loop to Fern Cascades. Choose this for a small creek canyon rather than a big waterfall view.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead 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.”
Trail guide
From Howard Eaton Trailhead (OK2), plan on about 2.5 miles for the loop with its short out-and-back to Fern Cascades; allow 1 to 1.5 hours. The wooded route climbs sharply near the start, reaches a small canyon on Iron Spring Creek, then rolls back toward the trailhead. The main loop is about 2.3 miles; the saved total includes the cascade spur.
The small canyon is easy to miss. A short side path reaches two creek viewpoints; from the lower one, the waterfall drops partly below the sightline. Stay on the established tread and back from the edge. Do not scramble down the bank for a closer look.
The west side has the sharper climb. Farther around, the route passes a marsh and rises to its high point before descending toward Jewel Road. The turn there can be faint, especially when climbing from the Howard Eaton side, so check your map and keep to the main loop rather than following the nearby utility corridor.
This is also a winter ski trail, with a one-way skier-tracked route and steep pitches; follow winter direction signs when skiing. Bison and elk use the area, so give wildlife plenty of room. Pets are not allowed on the trail.
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
ModerateHoward Eaton Trail: Old Faithful to Lone Star Geyser6.3 mi · 3 hr · At the trailheadBurned hill, spruce-fir forest, and a geyser at the end.
EasyGeyser Hill Loop Trail1.2 mi · 1 hr · 0.4 mi awayCompact boardwalk loop past geysers, vivid springs, and steaming runoff.
EasyOld Faithful to Morning Glory Pool Trail2.7 mi · 2 hr · 0.4 mi awayA level geyser walk ends at a spring changed by its visitors.
ModerateMallard Lake Trail7 mi · 4.5 hr · 0.5 mi awayPipeline Hot Springs and a Firehole crossing lead to Mallard Lake.
ModerateObservation Point–Solitary Geyser Loop1.9 mi · 2 hr · 0.6 mi awayA short climb trades switchbacks for Old Faithful from above.
EasyBlack Sand Basin Trail0.5 mi · 30 min · 1.3 mi awayShort boardwalk spurs past colorful hot springs and geysers.
ChallengingShoshone Geyser Basin Trail17 mi · 8.5 hr · 1.4 mi awayMore than 80 geysers, with no boardwalks and a long hike in.
EasyLone Star Geyser Trail4.8 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.4 mi awayEasy Firehole River walk to a geyser with roughly three-hour eruptions.
Lodging · 0.2 mi awayOld Faithful Snow Lodge and CabinsSleep near the basin; the geysers are a short walk away.
Store · 0.2 mi awayOld Faithful General Store - UpperA 1929 general store with a huge fireplace and practical supplies.
Gas station · 0.2 mi awayOld Faithful Gas and Service Station - UpperA useful in-park stop for fuel, propane, snacks, or repairs.
Visitor center · 0.3 mi awayOld Faithful Visitor Education CenterWatch Old Faithful indoors, then get the science behind the eruptions.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayYellowstone Tribal Heritage CenterMeet Indigenous presenters in a historic Haynes photo shop.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayOld Faithful InnA six-story log lobby makes this historic inn worth a look.
Lodging · 0.4 mi awayOld Faithful Lodge CabinsA rustic cabin stay within easy reach of Old Faithful.
Sight · 0.5 mi awayOld Faithful GeyserThe eruption is brief; the basin boardwalk makes a longer stop worthwhile.Parkwolf’s Yellowstone ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
