During our trip to Yellowstone National Park, we visited the Grand Prismatic Spring, one of Yellowstone’s most iconic sights… and while we were there, across the spring, we could see people walking up what looked like steps in the hillside to what looked like a platform where you could see the colorful hot spring from above. And we thought… we’ve gotta figure out how to get over there!
We had already planned to do the hike to Fairy Falls, and it turns out the overlook for the Grand Prismatic Spring is right along the path! So the next morning, we set out on our next adventure! The Fairy Falls trailhead has a parking lot just off of the Grand Loop Road, north of the Old Faithful area. The trail to Fairy Falls is 5.4 miles there and back from the trailhead. Along the trail is the Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook, about .6 miles from the trailhead. The trail is a well groomed dirt path and there are stairs that lead up from the path to the the overlook platform. The stop at the overlook is well worth the view!!
The hike along the rest of the path to Fairy Falls is a quiet, well groomed dirt trail through the woods. We saw butterflies, birds, squirrels, and chipmunks. The mountain wildflowers on this trip captivated my heart, and were a welcome addition to the views as we hiked along.
I’ve got to be completely honest about how this little hike in the woods started out… We’d had quite a few long days with the kids already on this trip… and when we woke the kids up at 7:55am, they thought it was way too early! (The kids were 7 & 10 at the time.) Especially for a 5 mile hike right away in the morning… Kieren found a big stick to hike along with as a walking stick, which of course, along the way actually ended up stabbing him as he tripped on the trail, and there was enough complaining on the way up to the falls to keep all bears away! Plus it was July, and even in the morning it was starting to heat up.
But… when we arrived at Fairy Falls, all complaining stopped and the magic of the falls cured all bad moods!
Fairy Falls drops down the side of the cliff almost 200 feet! The falls have a magical wispy look to them. (Is this where Tinkerbell gets the magic to fly?) There are some fallen trees to climb on, with one very large tree laying across the stream and creating the perfect bridge. The kids had a ball playing on these!
On the hot July day that we hiked to Fairy Falls, the mist coming off the waterfall and the coolness that it created were much appreciated! A water break and a quick snack were just what we needed to make everyone happy and excited to enjoy the rest of our hike!
The hike up to Fairy Falls is well worth it if you have the time! If you go, definitely make the stop at the Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook! Bringing bear spray (affiliate link) is recommended, as you will be walking through the woods. The trail is fairly well traveled, and you’ll meet plenty of other hikers, but you never know what could happen if you surprise a bear! (We didn’t run into any!) Bring water and a snack.. and sunscreen if you’re there when it’s warm outside!
If you want to see a little bit more footage from our hike, check out the video on YouTube!
Thank you for stopping by our blog! Drop us a message if you’ve been to Fairy Falls or if you have any questions we can answer!! See you at our next adventure!!
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