Grotto Falls Trail - Hyalite Canyon Recreation Area

On the Grotto Falls Trail, stroll through an old-growth subalpine forest along Hyalite Creek consisting of large live, standing-dead, and downed Subalpine Fir, Engelmann Spruce, and Lodgepole Pine.  Wildflowers, mushrooms, berries, moss-covered boulders, talus slopes inhabited by marmot and pika, and cascading creeks and waterfalls abound in summer and autumn.  Look for American Dippers in the pool below the falls.

The earliest written account of the beauty of the area was from the Hayden Geological Survey team, sent to the Yellowstone region in 1871-1872. The group viewed the area from the top of one of the peaks in the Gallatin Range and noted not only the beautiful area but also the presence of Hyalite, a colorless opal.

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