Hike to Fairy falls in Yellowstone National park

From the Fairy Falls trailhead, walk along the now closed Fountain flats drive, crossing the Firehole river. After 0.8 miles, the Fairy falls trail splits to the left at the well signed junction. This area goes through a burned forest of lodgepole pine. When we did this hike, the forest was well into recovery from the fires of 1988, as there are many 15ft pine trees growing in the area. However, there are a good number of branchless trees still standing. The day was very windy and we could hear huge crashes of the burnt trees finally falling so many years after the fire. This could be quite dangerous if you happen to be under a tree when it goes, so be alert.

After 1.4 miles of hiking, the spur trail to the falls appears on the left. It is another 0.2 miles to the very picturesque fairy falls. This 200ft falls earns its name from the relatively light amount of water fluttering down from the cliff. This is a nice area to take a break.

When ready, return the way you came.