Rustic Falls is a 39-foot horsetail waterfall on Glen Creek in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, at the head of Golden Gate Canyon on the Grand Loop Road south of Mammoth Hot Springs.
The falls
Glen Creek flows off Swan Lake Flat, squeezes through a narrow opening at the top of Golden Gate Canyon and spreads over the rock in a thin, lacy veil. The rock is welded ash tuff left by a volcanic eruption about two million years ago. One-meter lidar data puts the drop just under 40 feet, at 39 feet; most guidebooks still quote 47 feet.
Getting there
The falls are beside the Grand Loop Road about 4.7 miles south of Mammoth Hot Springs, where the road passes through the Golden Gate; a pullout at the head of the canyon serves as the viewpoint. The Mammoth-to-Norris road is open to regular vehicles from April 17 to October 31 in 2026 and closes for the winter.
Yellowstone admission is $35 per vehicle for seven days, $30 per motorcycle and $20 per person on foot or bicycle, plus $100 per person for non-US residents aged 16 and older unless they hold an Annual or America the Beautiful Pass. Vehicle reservations are not required.
When to go
Spring is the time the falls look their best. Visits by car are limited to the road's open season.
On site
The falls are seen from an overlook near the road. The National Park Service plans to rebuild this stretch between 2027 and 2029, adding an accessible walkway and bridge from the parking area to the overlook, a new Bunsen Peak parking area and a rebuilt historic stone guard wall through the canyon.
History and name
Superintendent P. W. Norris gave the falls their present name in 1879, writing of a "rustic fall upon the West Gardiner"; earlier names included West Gardiner Falls and Rural Falls. The Museum of the Rockies holds a stereograph of the falls by Joshua Crissman dated 1871–72.
Nearby
Osprey Falls on the Gardner River is about 2.2 miles away, and Tukuarika Falls about 2.8 miles. Undine Falls on Lava Creek is about 4.2 miles away and Wraith Falls about 5 miles. Mammoth Hot Springs lies to the north along the same road.
Distances are straight-line.