Upper Mesa Falls, and its smaller sibling, Lower Mesa Falls, are well worth the short side trip from Yellowstone National Park/Patrick Cone
A refreshing side trip to your Yellowstone National Park vacation, one rich in history, beauty, and geology, can be found just outside the park's western border in the Caribou Targhee National Forest. There, along a scenic byway, plunges Mesa Falls.
Actually, two falls: Upper and Lower Mesa Falls.
These shimmering curtains of water fueled by the Henry's Fork of the Snake River have cut through the geologic layers laid down by more than 1 million years of volcanics, through layers of basalt lava and the now-rock-hard ash known as the Mesa Falls Tuff.
While the geologic history is roughly 1.3 million years old, the recent human history dates back to 1912, when the Mesa Power Company decided to build the Big Falls Inn near Upper Mesa Falls. This log building was likely going to be an office for the utility, which also planned to see a dam and power plant built on the river. But that never happened, and the inn began a stage stop and lodge for Yellowstone-bound visitors.
The U.S. Forest Service acquired the property in 1986, and transformed the inn into a visitor center and saw it added to the National Register of Historic Places. A short trail and boardwalk lead from the visitor center to overlooks of the Upper Falls, which plummets 114 feet. A mile south of the inn is an overlook of the 65-foot Lower Falls as well as a campground.
To reach the falls, take the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway, which stretches between Ashton, Idaho, and U.S. 20 at Harriman State Park.
The cozy visitor center offers a fireplace to warm you up on cold days, a small gift shop, and exhibits on geology, plants, and animals.
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