Info on HIkes and trails

Walk around Old Faithful! Begin at the Old Faithful parking lot. From the Visitor Center, facing Old Faithful Geyser, take the boardwalk trail around Old Faithful to the right (south) past the Old Faithful Lodge. The trail circles back to the left and then continues north behind a knoll. You will cross the Firehole River on a bridge. Stay on these trails and boardwalks around the back side of Old Faithful and up the hill. There is another smaller trail to Observation Point if you want to take it but it is a bit more moderate than easy. 

This trail is rated at 1.5 OL. The elevation change is usually gradual and it is either paved or boardwalks most the way.

Some of the best geysers to see up here are Giantess Geyser (if you are lucky to catch it erupting), Beehive Geyser and Castle Geyser. Taking the Upper Geyser Basin Trail north will also lead you to one of the most impressive geysers, Riverside Geyser. Riverside is, as the name implies, on the side of the river. It erupts about every 6 hours and lasts an impressive 20 minutes when it does. It spouts out at a 60 degree angle and has some really different phases. It’s worth the time to wait if you are there anywhere close to the predicted eruption time.

You can also view these sites by taking the Biscuit Basin Trail from the Biscuit Basin parking lot. See the “Biscuit Basin Trail” page for more information on that. For more info on Yellowstone National Park and these trails, go here. You can also watch our YouTube video on this hike here.

The trailhead is at the Biscuit Basin parking lot, 3 miles northwest of the Old Faithful parking area. Park there and you'll find the trailhead across the busy road at a sign labeled "Artemisia." Be careful! Once you have crossed, you'll be on your way to seeing some pretty interesting sights. You can walk all the way to Old Faithful if you want but you'll have to also walk all that way back so be sure you are up for it.You can also park at Old Faithful and take this trail back toward the pools and geysers here so don't worry if you want to go the other direction. The main trail is also a bike trail if you want to ride a pedaled bicycle. There are a lot of tourists, though, so it may not be quicker or easier.

This is a fairly easy trail that takes you past many geysers and hot springs that most people don't go to see. It's about 2 miles one-way so bring some water. And a camera! We rated it at 1.5 OL just because it is a longer trail. But there isn't much elevation change and it's gravel the whole way on a nice, wide trail.

Our favorites are the Artemisia Geyser, Morning Glory Pool and Riverside Geyser. We love the stroll through the forest and getting away from the crowds of Old Faithful. 

Don't forget to tour the Biscuit Basin itself while you are there. There are some interesting geothermal sights as well as a fun hike to Mystic Falls (see the Mystic Falls hike info to learn more). Biscuit Basin parking area has no amenities but you'll find plenty of them at nearby Old Faithful.

For more information on this hike, go to the National Park website. They have updates on weather and geyser eruption predictions that can help you plan out your tour. We really recommend the Yellowstone National Park app, where you can download maps and other info about the park. It's on the NPS website above. Click either link to find it. You can watch our video on this hike at our YouTube channel, Trails42.

From Madison Junction head south toward Old Faithful. Just past the Midway Geyser Basin is the trailhead for Fairy Falls. Not a lot of parking here so get there early in the morning or in the evening.

We rate this at 2 OL over all. The first part of the hike on the main trail to Fairy Falls is flat and easy: 1 OL. The overlook hike is up the side of the mountain with some ups and downs but not terribly steep: about 2.5 to 3 OL.

The view of the Grand Prismatic Spring is just astounding from here! You will feel like a National Geographic photographer as you snap some amazing pictures. This overlook was recently built (2018) and provides a broad look at the large spring which is very colorful and interesting. The forest service did a good job of making this trail - you used to have to trudge the side of the mountain without a trail.

For more information about this hike go to the national park service website, Yellowstone and type in "Grand Prismatic Spring" or Midway Geyser Basin."

This is a spectacular trail in Big Sky, Montana; just 30 minutes from Bozeman, 1 hour from West Yellowstone, and 2.5 hours from Rexburg. 

This gets a 2.5 OL rating for some elevation change but otherwise it's a fairly easy trail. 

Lovely forest throughout the hike, beautifully maintained gravel trail, lots of places to stop and sit or picnic, river crossings on well-cared-for bridges, and a gorgeous view of the falls at the end. This is probably the best trail we've ever been on! It's not terribly long or strenuous and the scenery will have you so distracted from hiking that you'll forget it's all real!

This is a 1.6 mile round-trip hike that should take just under an hour. To find out more about this trail, go to OutsideBozeman.com.  If you're looking for more to do around the Yellowstone National Park area, this is a great detour! Here's a video of the trail on our YouTube channel, Trails42.