Easy tourist hike to an 80-foot-tall waterfall.

Statistics

0 - 1

hrs

91

m

91

m

8

max°

Difficulty

FATMAP difficulty grade

Easy

Description

Palisade Falls is a popular short hike to a beautiful waterfall.

The impressive waterfall drops off of a vertical volcanic cliff on the side of Palisade Mountain, plummeting over 80 feet to crash into the boulders far below. The short 1.1-mile round-trip hike makes it a very popular tourist hike, as most everyone can reach these falls.

The trail is wide and paved, making it wheelchair accessible.

However, there are a few steep grades and switchbacks in the trail, which could pose problems for some people in wheelchairs. Despite some steeper grades, this trail teems with hikers every day of the week.

The massive parking lot can fill up on weekends, causing this beautiful destination to become quite crowded. Once you reach the falls, you can scramble up the boulder field to get right up next to the water for an additional challenge.

This rocky, wet scramble is substantially more technical than the paved trail and should be approached with caution. **Note:** The Bozeman area is renowned as prime grizzly bear country.

Signs at every trailhead warn that bears are highly active in the area.

To mitigate the risk of bear encounters, make plenty of noise while hiking, try to hike with a group of people, and consider attaching a bear bell to your backpack.

Also, make certain that you carry bear spray with you every time you hike, in case you do get into an encounter with a grizzly.