Tower Fall & Calcite Springs – Yellowstone National Park

Today we are sharing another great place to visit in Yellowstone National Park. Located in the Tower-Roosevelt Area is the Tower Fall hike and the Calcite Springs overlook trail. Both of these are short, but have breathtaking views and are very fun for all ages. There are also a few other things you can do in this area like visit the Roosevelt Lodge and sit on the porch, visit Lamar Buffalo Ranch, or have dinner at an Old West Cookout in Pleasant Valley.

Back to the Tower Fall trail and Calcite Springs overlook. A heads-up that pets are not allowed on the trails, but you can get them out and walk them around the main area where the gift shop is. There are also several picnic tables here. We ate lunch here before we went on the hike and then got ice cream from inside the gift shop after we got back. It was perfect.

Are you planning a trip to Yellowstone National Park? You can also read more about Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone – Yellowstone National Park and West Thumb Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park for more tips and advice.

Hike to Tower Fall

The 132-foot drop of Tower Creek, framed by eroded volcanic pinnacles has been documented by park visitors from the earliest trips of Europeans into the Yellowstone region. Its idyllic setting has inspired numerous artists, including Thomas Moran.

His painting of Tower Fall played a crucial role in the establishment of Yellowstone National Park in 1872. The nearby Bannock Ford on the Yellowstone River was an important travel route for early Native Americans as well as for early European visitors and miners up to the late 19th century.

Learn more on the NPS Yellowstone site.

Enjoy the View from the Calcite Springs Overlook

The Calcite Springs grouping of thermal springs along the Yellowstone River signals the downstream end of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. The geothermally altered rhyolite inspired the artist Moran; his paintings of this scene were among those presented to Congress in 1872, leading to the establishment of the park.

The steep, columnar basalt cliffs on the opposite side of the river from the overlook are remnants of an ancient lava flow, providing a window into the past volcanic forces that shaped much of the Yellowstone landscape. The gorge and cliffs provide habitat for numerous wildlife species including bighorn sheep, red-tailed hawks, and osprey.

Learn more on the NPS Yellowstone site.

And don’t forget! If you are planning a trip to Yellowstone National Park, you can read more about Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone – Yellowstone National Park and West Thumb Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park for more tips and advice. We will be sharing more soon, so be sure to check back!