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Photograph Cave Falls

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

3.5/5
based on 2 reviews

Description

Added by Josh Packer

Cave Falls is the widest waterfall in Yellowstone National Park. The falls offers a unique and rarely visited area to explore as well as nearby campsites. 

Cave Falls is one of the hidden waterfalls of Yellowstone National Park that really only the natives know about. Although Cave Falls originally derived its name from a cave next to the waterfall, the cave has since collapsed and is no longer accessible. Known for its enormous length of 250 feet, the waterfall stretches across the entire Fall River, which is terrific for fishing. Before arriving at the waterfall, there are camp sites with amenities. The campsites are in bear country, so there are food storage requirements.

Directions to the campsite: From Highway 20 in Ashton, ID, go through town and head east on State Highway 47 for approximately 5.7 miles. Turn right onto E 1400 N/Cave Falls Rd and continue driving for about 17.6 miles. Roughly 12 miles of this road is dirt, and this road is only accessible via snowmobile during the winter.

Side Note: The Cave Falls Road displays countless wildflowers during late spring and early summer. While photographing the wildflowers, watch out for the mosquitoes along the marshy areas near the road. As an added bonus, you can also see the famous Tetons on your way to Cave Falls.

Directions to waterfall: Cave Falls is about two miles farther down the road from the campground and is just inside of Yellowstone National Park. You can access the falls by vehicle or snowmobile depending on the season. You can park above or below the falls as there are trails that take you there either way.

Photographing the falls: Make sure to have a good tripod and waterproof shoes to enter the river. There is a lot of mist coming from the falls, so make sure to keep your camera lens dry while shooting. Photograph the falls from the river as that provides the best view of the entire waterfall. The sun rises just east of the waterfall and sets behind the waterfall creating some great light at both sunrise and sunset.

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Features

Chillin
Camping
Photography
Hiking
Bathrooms
Easy Parking
Family Friendly
Forest
Picnic Area
River
Romantic
Scenic
Waterfall
Wildflowers
Wildlife

Photograph Cave Falls Reviews

Is it shallow often yes. But the current is strong and will wipe you out quick if not very careful. The caves have collapsed or the Forrest service collapsed them, one or the two. It is a great place for pictures and a short 30-45 min rest of your wanting to hike the waterfall loop. If your just driving and only going to the cave falls it’s not worth the gas unless your just trying to get away for a while. They added parking fees a while back so take some cash. You will need to fill out an envelope and place it in the box.

Took a nice two day camping/fishing trip up here and got some really great pictures of the falls! It’s right off of the road so there is no hiking but there are trails above the falls that lead to small lakes that you can go explore. There was quite a few people there so I don’t think it’s as secret as everyone says it is. There was a lot of kids in the water so it is a nice place to stop for the family to go do some swimming.

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

Dunanda Falls via Boundary Creek Trail

Union Falls and Scout Pool

Mesa Nature Trail

Upper and Lower Mesa Falls Loop

Huckleberry Mountain via Sheffield Creek Trail

Camp at Lizard Creek Campground

Let Adventure be your Destination in Wyoming

Wyoming’s wide-open spaces make it easy to get off the grid and on a trail, through a park, into a forest, up a mountain or down a river. During your journey through Wyoming’s Black to Yellow Region, discover geologic marvels, dense evergreen forests and sprawling prairielands.

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