Parking
The route begins on the path behind Roosevelt Lodge. Tower Junction has a large lot and vault toilets; follow the road to the lodge, then take the path behind the main building.
Overview
About Lost Creek Falls Trail
Why go
- A short, signed creekside walk reaches a distinctive waterfall.
Heads up
- Trees can partly block the view from the signed end.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Yellowstone map
Full mapElevation6,345–6,572 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
5 active Yellowstone alerts
- ClosureBiscuit Basin closed after hydrothermal explosionBiscuit Basin’s parking lot, boardwalk, and Firehole River are closed to all travel.Official details
- ClosureMost Yellowstone roads close to regular vehicles November 1Most Yellowstone roads and the West, South, and East entrances are scheduled to close to regular vehicles November 1, 2026, as the park prepares for winter operations.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Yellowstone Tour Guide
Hear Yellowstone as you drive it.
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
Roosevelt Lodge and Lost Lake0:00 / 0:32
“You're coming up on Roosevelt Lodge, a seasonal log lodge where you can stop for a meal without staying overnight.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Yellowstone Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Tower Junction and Garnet Hill
- Yellowstone River Picnic Area and Narrows
- Petrified Tree
- Calcite Springs Overlook
- 243 audio storiesacross Yellowstone’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Wolf, Grizzly Bear, Bison, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 167 trails, 192 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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
Hiking Lost Creek Falls Trail
A short waterfall spurLost Creek Falls Trail is an out-and-back spur from the path behind Roosevelt Lodge to the…
Lost Creek Falls Trail is an out-and-back spur from the path behind Roosevelt Lodge to the signed end near the falls. Plan on about 0.5 mile round trip and 30 to 45 minutes. Published measurements range from about 0.4 to 0.8 mile, so treat the distance as an estimate. At the signed fork, take the branch for the falls; the other way continues to Lost Lake and its separate loop.
Follow the signed routeThe path climbs steadily beside a creek under trees.
The path climbs steadily beside a creek under trees. It ends at a signed stopping point where trunks can partly screen the waterfall. The dark rock walls frame a drop about 40 feet high. The route ends short of the water; don't continue past the sign over loose rock and deadfall.
The creek's nameA naming story credits geologist W. H. Holmes with the name in 1878.
A naming story credits geologist W. H. Holmes with the name in 1878. He thought the creek disappeared beneath the meadows before reaching the Yellowstone River.
Start and wildlifeBegin on the path behind the main Roosevelt Lodge building.
Begin on the path behind the main Roosevelt Lodge building. The nearby Tower Junction area has a large parking lot and vault toilets. Pets aren't allowed on this trail. Grizzly bears, black bears, and bison frequent the area, so stay on the signed path and give wildlife room.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Yellowstone
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.
