Palisade Falls

Worth the drive

Is it plungeworthy?

98feet tall

A horsetail.

Scale48/60

Documentation10/20

Character14/20

The details

Type: Horsetail
Coordinates: 45.46941, -110.93091

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About Palisade Falls

Palisade Falls is a 98-foot horsetail in Montana.

Fed largely by snowmelt, it runs hardest in late spring and early summer and can thin to a trickle by late season.

Plungeworthy rates Palisade Falls 7.2/10 — worth the drive. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.

What you'll find

An 80-foot curtain sliding down a wall of columnar basalt in Hyalite Canyon — Bozeman's geology lesson with spray. The trail is fully paved, 0.3 miles, and the most accessible real waterfall in the state.

Getting there

Trailhead: Palisade Falls Trailhead, Hyalite Canyon, ~22 miles south of Bozeman
Parking: ~30-car paved lot, roadside overflow in July
Road: Paved then good canyon gravel; the canyon road closes roughly December–mid-April
Hike: 0.6 mi round trip, 120 ft of climb (easy)
Heads up: Vault toilet at the lot; $5 canyon day-parking at the self-serve station.

When to go

Late May through early July for peak flow, right when the road reliably reopens. Hyalite on a July Saturday is Bozeman's backyard — early or weekday.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: $5 Hyalite day parking or America the Beautiful
Dogs: Leashed
Camping: Hood Creek and Langohr campgrounds in the canyon
Warnings: Bear country; slick rock below the platform.

Researched from Roaming Montana — Palisade Falls. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Palisade Falls recently? Post a conditions report below.

Where it is

Before you go

The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.