Garden Creek Falls

Casper / Rotary Park, Wyoming, USA

About Garden Creek Falls

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Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Garden Creek Falls was a bit of an unexpected waterfall surprise in the eastern part of the state of Wyoming near the town of Casper.

It featured a thin multi-tiered drop in the heart of the Rotary Park just to the southeast of town.

Garden_Creek_Falls_020_07292020 - Garden Creek Falls
Garden Creek Falls

From what I can tell, this waterfall may be about 80ft tall though topographic maps seem to suggest there are more tiers further upstream that are not seen from the bottom.

Even though our visit took place in late July 2020, we were pleasantly surprised by its still lively flow so it wasn’t as temporary as I had anticipated.

Indeed, this waterfall’s scenic allure seemed to be “just right” as it wasn’t overwhelming with its flow nor did it feel overrun with people.

It just felt inviting and like a place where locals could hang out.

Garden_Creek_Falls_031_07292020 - Overlook towards Casper within the Rotary Park
Overlook towards Casper within the Rotary Park

There was even one friendly Casper resident who welcomed me to Casper as we briefly chatted at an overlook over the town of Casper from within the Rotary Park.

Yep, this waterfalling experience felt different, and it was almost like a throwback to some of our more peaceful waterfall visits from the past.

Indeed, as with many such waterfalls that we’ve been to over the years, things eventually would get pretty crazy with crowds, urban blight, out-of-control social media lemmings effects, etc.

So who knows when Garden Creek Falls might start to get more notoriety on the internet resulting in some of these consequences?

Garden_Creek_Falls_052_07292020 - Some locals chilling out around the base of Garden Creek Falls
Some locals chilling out around the base of Garden Creek Falls

Then again, maybe that “just right” scenic allure combined with its off-the-beaten path location might help keep this place quaint and friendly for the long term.

Garden Creek Falls Trail Description

In any case, our visit to Garden Creek Falls was a straightforward affair.

From the closest parking lot (see directions below), we had a choice of walking to the right over a nearby bridge or straight ahead.

Both paths eventually merged again further upstream by another footbridge near a trail junction with a steep path going uphill to an overlook of Casper.

Garden_Creek_Falls_096_07292020 - Looking back at the footbridge over Garden Creek downstream from the Garden Creek Falls. This was where the short waterfall trails merged and continued upstream to the base of the falls
Looking back at the footbridge over Garden Creek downstream from the Garden Creek Falls. This was where the short waterfall trails merged and continued upstream to the base of the falls

Continuing further upstream on the west side of that footbridge, after a few paces more, we reached a couple of benches looking right at the Garden Creek Falls.

There was a pretty wide open area with loose rocks that seemed like a good opportunity to at least get the feet wet, and this allowed us to walk right up to the very bottom of the falls for a direct look at it.

So as far as the waterfall was concerned, this was pretty much the extent of the exertion necessary, which I’d say was less than a quarter-mile each way.

Casper Overlook and Extending the Rotary Park Visit

In addition to the base of Garden Creek Falls, I did pursue a steep uphill path on the east side of the sturdy footbridge just downstream of the waterfall.

Garden_Creek_Falls_024_07292020 - The trail to the overlook of Casper just east of the sturdy footbridge was a bit steep, rough, and prone to erosion. So I definitely needed to exercise some care going up as well as going back down
The trail to the overlook of Casper just east of the sturdy footbridge was a bit steep, rough, and prone to erosion. So I definitely needed to exercise some care going up as well as going back down

This steep path was a little on the crumbly and slippery side so some caution was necessary.

On the way up, I managed to get a more elevated (but partial) view of Garden Creek Falls, which gave me some perspective as to the waterfall’s overall height.

Then, barely 150ft up this hill, I reached an overlook deck with a nice view of Casper.

This was the extent of my extension of the hiking in Rotary Park, but I easily could have turned this into a 1.2-mile loop, which seemed to go over the top of Garden Creek Falls while also possibly providing other overlook opportunities.

Garden_Creek_Falls_026_07292020 - Context of looking back towards Garden Creek Falls from the steep path leading up to the Casper Overlook
Context of looking back towards Garden Creek Falls from the steep path leading up to the Casper Overlook

I can’t say much more about the full loop since I didn’t do that, but maybe on a return visit, I might do that just to complete the Rotary Park experience.

Authorities

Garden Creek Falls resides in Rotary Park just south of the town of Casper in Natrona County, Wyoming. It is administered by Natrona County. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website or Facebook page.

Maps and Routing Content are for annual subscribers. See Membership Options.
Content is for subscribers. See Membership Options.
Tagged with: casper, wyoming, rotary park, natrona county



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Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
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