very pretty area, best hike we took... enought of a climb to feel like we got a little exercise, but not hard at all. pretty path up a canyon area, easy to find and walk on paths

It says 1.7 miles to the falls but met someone with a GPS on their way back and the clocked over 3 miles and they were only 1/4 of the way back on the trail. It is not a loop trail as someone reviewed. It does start out fairly level but there are lots of rock stairs and spots to scramble over rocks. If you are not in good shape I wouldn't recommend it. It was very hot on some parts of the trail but at the top of the falls you could see snow. It is pretty scenery. Some of the hike is very near to the rushing river and then there are big pine trees and shady areas with ferns and flowers and lots of wildlife. The sign said no dogs allowed however lots of people had little ankle bitters on the trail. Hope they didn't happen upon any bears. It's probably one of the easier trails in the park but by no means for those who are out of shape.

We went with our 2 and half year old daughter early june. It was a wonderful short and easy(not so easy when we had to carry our little one) with lots of wildlife to see on the way to the Topokah falls. We saw a medium sized Black bear and a brown one. It was right on the trail. We also saw some deer. There were these beaver like animals at the end of the hike. The hike had so much to offer. Parts of the hike were very close to the river with beautiful views of the Tokopah falls. Lots of wildlife. THe last 0.2 miles was rocky and there was snow which made it a little slippery and we had to be careful with our kid. At the falls, our daughter loved the mist from the falls. ALl in all a wonderful hike.

I did this very popular hike in early August. When I set out from the Lodgepole visitor center, I didn't encounter anybody till I crossed the bridge (about 1/4 mile). But I was surprised to find the number of people along the trail.

This is an out-and-back hike, 1.7 miles each way (not a loop as the other reviewer says). It follows the river for much of the course, allowing ample opportunities to dip your feet. It is pretty level most of the way, although you'll need to tackle a short rocky stretch towards the end.

The scenery is pretty good, although not spectacular. There's plenty of shade along the way, but the end of the trail, however, is totally exposed. And there's not much room for a lot of people at the end, so you'll need to climb some boulders up or down to enjoy the scenery.

The waterfall was just barely more than a trickle at this time of the year. But I've seen pictures of the waterfall during spring and early summer, and it'll be totally worth the hike then. So I wouldn't go out of my way to do it any other time of the year, in which case my priority would be Sherman Tree, Moro Rock, Crystal Cave, and then Tokopah Falls.