My wife, Lynne, and I started our day by getting dressed and being out of the cabin by 6:15 AM. We were heading from Lake Yellowstone to Old Faithful to view geysers, hot springs, mud vents, and other geothermal sights. The drive along the lake weaved through mighty Ponderosa pines. In several areas, the pine trees were burned out and the forest was regenerating itself through the ashes. The forest fires in these parts are breathtaking.
As we passed West Thumb on our journey along the west side of the lake, the sun rose from the horizon directly over the lake (see the image at the top of the page). It was a spectacular morning drive along the water. Being early morning, we hoped to catch some wildlife along the road. We were, indeed, rewarded with multiple sets of mule deer coming across the road. Then, as we neared Old Faithful area, a brown bear caused a traffic jam as he strolled through the woods. Finally, a predator.
Old Faithful Geysers Area
The Old Faithful Inn anchors the visitor’s area. It is a rustic and beautiful hotel on the property. Plus, the best cell phone coverage was the best in the park, which helped me get caught up before I would go out of service again. I loved the amenities in this area. This definitely would serve as a great home base to use for rest between trips throughout the park. Check it out for future accommodations.
From the hotel, we walked several hundred yards over to the Old Faithful viewing area. The geyser was a few minutes behind schedule so we chatted with some of the other park goers as we waited for it to erupt. It was very steamy that cool morning and not a huge eruption, but it was still a thrill to see. The beauty of Old Faithful is its timing, not necessarily its height and volume. You will see other taller or more expansive geysers but viewing them is purely happenstance. You can’t set your watch by it.
Geysers, Geysers Everywhere!
Leaving the Old Faithful viewing area, we hiked up the path through the woods to an area overlooking the entire geyser basin. The height provides an opportunity to view hundreds of geysers emitting some kind of liquid into the cool, morning air. The path eventually leads to Solitary Geyser. Sad story here. 100 years ago, some people decided it would be a good idea to siphon off some of the hot water to use for heating, etc. Unfortunately, the process stopped the geyser from erupting normally and it has never returned to normal. It belches and burps frequently, but it does not erupt like other geysers.
When we emerged from the trailhead overlooking Old Faithful, the Beehive geyser greeted us already in full eruption. It was so spectacular that people mistook it for Old Faithful itself. We walked along the boardwalk past dozens of geysers and springs. The boardwalk meanders for several miles through the valley and over bridges with the run-off from all of the activity. I would allot from 3-5 hours to properly see the many unique geological formations that gush, flow, burp, and perk up through the Earth’s crust toward the sky. We thoroughly enjoyed the activity of the area.
We finished up with breakfast back at the lodge. Reasonably priced food is freshly prepared and served by friendly and attentive staff. We found this true of all of the restaurants in Yellowstone we visited. The quality and hospitality were wonderful. I expected to pay more and get less and that was definitely not the case.
Grand Prismatic & Fairy Falls
From Old Faithful, we took the loop road north toward the Grand Prismatic, the largest hot spring in the United States. It is breathtaking to view. Bacteria thrives in the hot water and create the beautiful rings circling the pool.
There are two different ways to view the spring. There is a viewing area directly by the side of the spring with a boardwalk along part of the shore. You can see people standing along the boardwalk in the photo above. The other viewing opportunity is from an overlook on the trail to Fairy Falls. I recommend the aerial view from this trail.
The parking for Fairy Falls trail is just south of the visitor’s area for the Grand Prismatic. Park and walk across a beautiful creek for about a mile to the turn-off for the overlook. This area is generally less crowded and provides a much better perspective than the ground level view directly at the spring itself.
Fairy Falls or Scary Falls?
From there, I encourage you to take a 3-mile hike to Fairy Falls. Shortly into our hike toward the falls, we were passed by some younger hikers moving much more quickly than us. Surprisingly, about 15 minutes later, they were heading back toward us. I jokingly remarked, “Wow, did you already finish at the falls!” to which they replied, “No, we just saw a wolf!” I was not expecting that. We waited with them for a few minutes. Then, bear spray in hand, we headed down the trail continuing toward the falls. No wolf. Our new friends, Zach and Jessica, accompanied us the rest of the way and we enjoyed a really great hike together. If you are really adventurous, the trail continues past the falls for several miles through a broad meadow (b
Once we were back at the car, we drove around the rest of the Grand Loop, stopping at Gibbon Falls (above, top) and a few other locations. Then we were back at the Lodge for dinner. We spent time each night on the large, covered front porch of the Lodge overlooking Lake Yellowstone. It was a great place for an after-dinner drink and to take in the wildlife or a thunderstorm. A relaxing way to finish an active day outdoors before taking in more geysers, hiking, and a special bathing spot scheduled for the next day.