Fairy Falls
Washington County, Minnesota
Your visit at a glance
- Waterfall height
- Not recorded
- Location
- Washington County, Minnesota
- Access status
- Unmaintained trail in an NPS day use area; reopening depends on parking
- The walk
- Short walk; no measured distance to the falls
- Ground & access
- Unmaintained trails with steep ravines and bluffs. Spur trails to the base are steep. Not suited to toddlers or preschoolers.
Fairy Falls is a 30 to 40 foot drop on Silver Creek in a 54-acre National Park Service day use area north of Stillwater. Park on Orwell Avenue at the signed day use parking. The trailhead is not marked and is directly across County Highway 11 from Orwell Avenue. The visitor account says the best view is from the far side of the footbridge. The National Park Service says the trails are not maintained or developed and some conditions may be difficult or impassable.
Plan your visit
Fairy Falls Day Use Area parking on Orwell Avenue at County Highway 11 (Fairy Falls Road), across to the unmarked trailhead and a short walk to the falls
Twin Cities Outdoors calls the falls a short hike in and says the whole trail is only about a half mile out without spur trails. No source gives a measured distance to the falls viewpoint.
Unmaintained trails with steep ravines and bluffs. Spur trails to the base are steep. Not suited to toddlers or preschoolers.
Where to start
Limited roadside parking on Orwell Avenue marked by Fairy Falls Day Use Area Parking Only signs. The National Park Service warns the township can reinstall no-parking signs, and the area may then close again.
Timing & water
Open daily sunrise to sunset. The area was closed from summer 2020 to December 2022 and its reopening depends on safe parking.
Before you go
Twin Cities Outdoors lists no fees. No reservation is mentioned.
Visitor informationVisit sources
More waterfalls nearby
Within 40 straight-line miles. Road and trail distances will differ.
Willow FallsState park trail from the Willow Falls parking lotSt. Croix County, WI7.7 miSE- Phalen Regional Park WaterfallLakeside trail location known; parking and pump schedule not confirmedRamsey County, MN14 miSW
- Buttermilk FallsPartial guide: short conservancy trail to an unsigned spur; views need a narrow rock fin or a steep slopePolk County, WI15 miN
- Griers FallsPolk County, WI17 miN
- Cascade FallsVillage stairway from the main street to the fallsPolk County, WI17 miN
- Hamm’s Memorial WaterfallsCity park feature; exact parking and path not confirmedRamsey County, MN18 miW
- Silverbrook FallsState park trail to a falls with an observation point16 ft (5 m) · Polk County, WI21 miN
- Shadow FallsPartial guide: exact path from the lot to the falls is not documentedHennepin County, MN21 miSW
- Bridal Veil FallsCity viewpoint; staircase location and walking distance not confirmedHennepin County, MN22 miW