Tower Fall is a 111-foot plunge waterfall on Tower Creek in the Tower-Roosevelt area of Yellowstone National Park, Park County, Wyoming. Tower Creek bends around a row of eroded volcanic pinnacles and drops into a narrow gorge a short distance above the Yellowstone River. Thomas Moran's painting of the scene helped make the case for the park itself.
The falls
The creek runs past the pinnacles, which rise about 60 feet above the rim, then falls free in a single leap. Lidar puts the drop at 111 feet and suggests the familiar 132-foot figure includes Boulder Falls or the slope below the viewpoint; the NPS still uses 132 feet. The nearby columnar basalt formed as a lava flow cracked into hexagonal columns while cooling. The creek meets the Yellowstone River about 1,000 yards downstream.
Getting there
The Tower Fall parking area and Tower General Store are on the Grand Loop Road about 2.4 miles south of Tower Junction. From the lot, a short walk leads to the overlook, which looks head-on at the fall. The trail beyond the overlook continues 0.75 mile down to a view of Tower Creek flowing into the Yellowstone River, but the final section to the base has been closed since rock and mud slides in 2004 destroyed the lower viewing platform. The trail was listed as open in 2026, but not to stock.
Yellowstone admission is $35 per private vehicle for seven days, plus $100 per person for non-US residents aged 16 and older unless they hold an Annual or America the Beautiful Pass. No vehicle reservation is needed.
When to go
The Tower-Canyon road is open to cars from May 22 to October 12, 2026. In winter the road stays unplowed, and the Tower Fall Ski Trail follows it for 5.0 miles from Tower Junction. Flow averages about 120 cubic feet per second during the three high-water months and about 20 the rest of the year.
On site
The fall is seen only from above; there is no access to the base or the pool. Pets may stay within 100 feet of roads and parking areas but are not allowed on the trail. Tower Fall Campground, across the road, has 31 reservable sites for $20 a night and runs from May 22 to September 27, 2026.
History and name
Samuel Hauser of the Washburn expedition named the fall on August 27, 1870, after the towers and spires that overhang it. The US Geological Survey changed the name from Tower Falls to Tower Fall in 1928. Moran's 1871 painting of the scene helped persuade Congress to establish Yellowstone in 1872.
Nearby
Boulder Falls is right beside Tower Fall on Tower Creek. Lost Creek Falls is about 1.9 miles away, Peterson Falls about 3.3 miles and Anniversary Falls about 4.1 miles.
Distances are straight-line.