Terraced Falls is a 128-foot tiered waterfall on the Fall River in the southwest corner of Yellowstone National Park, Teton County, Wyoming, an area known as Cascade Corner. An easy trail from the Grassy Lake Road passes a string of smaller cascades on the way to an overlook above it.
The falls
Five distinct tiers fall roughly 23, 20, 40, 10 and 15 feet, with cascades making up the rest of the 128-foot drop; the tallest step is about 50 feet. The uppermost tier sits about 250 feet upstream of the other four. Below the main drops, the river churns into a rocky canyon. The park's own 2012 trip report lists six tiers totaling about 140 feet, and Waterfalls West gives the same figure.
Getting there
The Cascade Creek Trailhead is on the north side of the Grassy Lake Road, about 13 miles west of Flagg Ranch and 1.5 miles west of Grassy Lake Reservoir. The route follows an old roadbed for about a quarter mile to a junction, bears left into the park, then runs 1.4 miles beside Cascade Creek and the Fall River to the overlook. The round trip is about 4 miles, rated easy, with the trail losing about 228 feet on the way in, so the climbing comes on the return.
The Grassy Lake Road is a 36-mile gravel road between Flagg Ranch and Ashton, Idaho. It stays closed until June 1 for grizzly bear migration, may not be fully open until mid to late June and isn't plowed in winter. High-clearance vehicles are recommended, and hikers report potholes, rocks and washouts. The road itself carries no fee, but arriving from the north or south means paying the Yellowstone or Grand Teton entrance fee.
When to go
The hike is only possible while the Grassy Lake Road is open. A park ranger recommends autumn, when the mosquitoes have died down.
On site
The trail ends on a rocky perch looking down on the falls. There is no good view of the base from the south bank; the best view is from the top. The overlook has no guardrails and the riverbanks are slippery. Pets aren't allowed on Yellowstone trails or in the backcountry, and the trail is closed to horses. Along Cascade Creek the trail passes Cascade Acres, a 50-foot-wide cascade, and several smaller named cascades.
History and name
The falls were probably named by the Hague Geological Survey in 1885–1886. In the 1920s an attempt to rename them Totem Falls failed when the U.S. Board on Geographic Names kept the original name.
Nearby
Cascade Acres is about 0.5 mile away, Rainbow Falls about 0.8 mile, and Pothole Cascades and Humpback Cascade about 1.1 and 1.3 miles on Cascade Creek, which the trail follows. Free first-come campsites with vault toilets and bear boxes line the Grassy Lake Road.
Distances are straight-line.