Firehole Canyon Drive - Lava Walls and a Waterfall
Photo: James St. John, CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
A stop on Yellowstone Geyser Country, a free self-guided tour.
End your day on this narrow one-way road, where the Firehole River squeezes through a canyon of dark lava cliffs. The rock is rhyolite, left by thick lava flows from the Yellowstone volcano, and the river has been cutting through it ever since. Firehole Falls, about 40 feet tall, pours over a ledge right beside the road.
The river's name comes from early trappers, who saw steam drifting off its surface as though the water were smoking. The hot springs you've visited all drain into it, so the Firehole runs noticeably warmer than mountain streams usually do, and wild brown and rainbow trout still thrive here.
Upstream of the falls is a popular swimming area, but the current is strong, there is no lifeguard and the water is cool. Cliff jumping is prohibited, and the area sometimes closes, so check nps.gov before you plan a swim. As you finish, think about where you've been: the same buried heat drives everything from Old Faithful to this warm river.
Getting here: Drive north on the Grand Loop Road about 8 miles toward Madison Junction; watch for the signed turnoff just before the junction, where the one-way canyon drive heads south upstream past the falls.
Did you know?: No fish were stocked in the Firehole until 1889; the trout here have been wild since stocking ended in 1955, and the river has been fly-fishing only since 1968.
Photo op: Use the pullout overlooking Firehole Falls and frame the white water against the dark rhyolite walls; the canyon falls into shade late in the day, so midday light works best.
Nearby: Changing rooms and vault toilets serve the swimming area in season; Madison Campground is just north at the junction.
More on Wikipedia: Firehole Falls · Firehole River
Stops on this tour
- Old Faithful - Nature's Most Famous Clock
- Old Faithful Inn - A Log Lodge Built in One Winter
- Castle Geyser - A Cone Built Over Centuries
- Grand Geyser - The Tallest You Can Plan For
- Morning Glory Pool - A Lesson in Leaving No Trace
- Black Sand Basin - Obsidian Sand and Emerald Water
- Biscuit Basin - Where the Ground Exploded
- Grand Prismatic Overlook - The Rainbow From Above
- Midway Geyser Basin - Up Close With Grand Prismatic
- Firehole Lake Drive - Great Fountain's Back Road
- Fountain Paint Pot - All Four Kinds in One Walk
- Firehole Canyon Drive - Lava Walls and a Waterfall