Wraith Falls Video Yellowstone National Park

Wraith Falls is located in the northern area of Yellowstone, almost six (6) miles east of Mammoth Hot Springs on the Mammoth to Roosevelt / Tower road. It is an easy .5 mile hike.

"Wraith Falls, a gently sloping cascade, was named in 1885 by members of the Hague parties of the USGS. Although there is no documentation of the reason for this name, the survey members were apparently reminded of a ghost or spectre in the gossamer rivulets of white water here. In fact, during the spring runoff when the falls is full, it does indeed have the classic shape of an apparition.

An easy, half-mile trail leads to this falls, and it takes hikers to an overlook that was moved and revamped in 2009. Signs mark the trailhead on the Mammoth to Roosevelt / Tower Road a mile east of the Lava Creek Picnic Area. Keen-eyed visitors can even spot this falls in the distance from the upper terraces at Mammoth.

Wraith Falls is a perfect example of the misuse of the word "falls." It is not a true waterfall, but when viewed from the front takes on this illusion. From the cliffs above, it does not even resemble a cascade but instead a long, flat rapid."

The above information is from the book "Yellowstone Waterfalls and their Discovery" by Paul Rubinstein, Lee H. Whittlesey, and Mike Stevens.

by John William Uhler

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