Tower Fall

Yellowstone National Park


Two-and-a-half miles south of Tower-Roosevelt Junction, Tower Creek plunges over 132ft Tower Fall before joining the Yellowstone River. The fall gets its name from the volcanic breccia towers around it, which brood like a demonic fortress and earn the fall the nickname 'Devil’s Den.' A short trail leads to a viewpoint above the fall, but don't bother heading further down as there are no further views of the cascade.

Local storytellers claim that prominent Minaret Peak gets its name from one Minnie Rhett, the girlfriend of an early park visitor, but that sounds rather like one of Jim Bridger's tall tales. Iconic landscape painter Thomas Moran created one of his most famous paintings here, credited with inspiring the US Congress to create the National Park System.

On the way back, stop in for a well-deserved ice cream at Yellowstone General Store, a former stagecoach stop that dates back to 1912. Tower Fall Campground is just across the road from the busy parking area, which often fills up by the middle of the day.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Yellowstone National Park attractions

1. Calcite Springs Overlook

0.7 MILES

This overlook 1.5 miles south of Tower-Roosevelt Junction offers vertiginous views of a section of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone known as the…

2. Lamar Valley

8.03 MILES

Of Lamar Valley's abundant wildlife, the most famous – and to some, controversial – resident is the gray wolf. Wolves were missing from the ecosystem…

3. Glacial Boulder

12.08 MILES

Just before Inspiration Point is this huge granite boulder scooped up from the Beartooth Mountains, 15 miles away, by a glacier and deposited here 80,000…

4. Canyon Visitor Education Center

12.12 MILES

This major center is well worth a visit for its innovative and interactive displays on Yellowstone’s geology. The highlight is a room-sized relief model…

5. Point Sublime

12.21 MILES

From Artist Point a trail leads 1 mile (45 minutes) to this viewpoint for more fabulous views of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone's colorful walls,…

6. Inspiration Point

12.34 MILES

A side road branches off North Rim Dr to reach busy Inspiration Point, which offers an overview of the length of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and a…

7. Grandview Point

12.65 MILES

The one-way North Rim Dr leads to Grandview Point, which offers views north over the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone's colorful smoking walls, though not…

8. Artist Point

12.73 MILES

Artist Point is probably the most famous of the canyon’s viewpoints, offering a long overview of the Lower Falls and canyon. It was not, as many people…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "usa/rocky-mountains/yellowstone-national-park/attractions/tower-fall/a/poi-sig/1476735/362135",
      "destination": "Yellowstone-National-Park",
      "continent": "North-America",
      "country": "USA",
      "region": "Yellowstone-National-Park",
      "position": "superzone"
    }