Upper Geyser Basin

This review is for Upper Geyser Basin & Old Faithful Observation Point Loop which was a ~4.9 miles round trip that took ~2.5 hours to complete. This was one of those unique hikes with various geysers and pools. The trails are located within walkable distances from the Old Faithful hotels and visitor center. Ideally, it would be best to start the hike early in the morning to avoid the crowd. Most of the trail consisted of flat boardwalks and paved asphalt. The boardwalks were icy in some spots during the morning. Observation Point part of the trail was somewhat pointless because there was no "wow factor" in terms of any view. It was still a nice stroll in the wooded areas, eventually reaching Solitary Geyser. Furthermore, this part of the trail had some inclines and declines. The steam from the geysers have an unpleasant sulfur smell. Carry bear spray; the chances of encountering a bear is lower at popular trails but you never know. Short video of the hike for those interested! https://youtu.be/WJGWI2obiwA

Easily one of the best trails in the park. The boardwalk starts at Old Faithful and moves west toward Biscuit Basin. There are actually two path running mostly parallel. The boardwalk is one while the other is a paved accessible path. I. My opinion it's best to start by parking near Biscuit Basin, walking to Old Faithful on the boardwalk, getting lunch in town, and returning on the accessible path. That way you get the comfort of a break and see slightly different views on the return. See my photos for a trail map posted on site.

One of the main spots to go to in Yellowstone National Park. Here you see Old Faithful and then can continue walking around the boardwalk to see the other geysers. Very well maintained and a great walk to start the day! Parking can get crowded here so arrive early!

Super cool place to visit while in Yellowstone and of course you're going to be at Old Faithful if you're here, so you might as well spend a few hours roaming around on this well-constructed place, seeing all the other geysers. There are plenty of walking paths and ramps for you to walk through and it is well laid-out with tons of maps and signage to point you in the right direction. We were able to see several geysers go off while here for about 4 hours and the visitor center does a good job of estimating when they're going to go off and giving you directions to get to the others. We walked all the way to the Biscuit Basin area and back and it was around 8 miles total. So it took us about 4 hours. There are so many geysers in here that it's easy to spend a long time seeing them all... there are probably over 50 at least. Upon return we had lunch at the General Store (wouldn't recommend). But they have ice cream and snacks to finish up your day before you move on.

If you are done watching the Old Faithful show or have some time before it erupts, a good idea would be to explore the Upper Geyser Basin. Of course there are still going to be a decent amount of people but nowhere near the crowds at Old Faithful. There are tons of geysers in the area right north of Old Faithful but you can venture further west to see more. In fact, I think some of the more popular geysers are further west like Grand Geyser, Chromatic Pool, and Morning Glory Pool. All are beautiful and worth a visit if you're already in the area.

Old Faithful! This nature trail is one of the coolest I've ever been on! I was sure to hike this at least once a day while I was in Yellowstone- each time there was something different going on. The trail head is just behind Old Faithful. Part of the trail was donated by Michelin, which gives a good path to walk on. Then, it transitions into a boardwalk that takes you through the geyser basin, past bubbling steaming holes, hissing vents, colorful, deep pools of steaming hot water, and violently surging cones with geysers spraying out. If I didn't know better, I'd believe dragons were in here. Watch out for buffalo! They were hanging out right next to the boardwalk one of the times I'd been. You can access a side trail that'll take you to a good lookout spot that oversees Old Faithful and the structures around it. I think the trail is about a mile and a half at the longest. Old Faithful isn't the only geyser around here- many are more powerful, but not as predictable.

There's a lot more than just "Old Faithful" at Upper Geyser basin, which is a good thing if you miss an eruption and don't want to wait for the next one. That's what happened to us. We parked our car JUST as an Old Faithful eruption occurred. We could see the water above the trees and knew we missed it. But there are SO many other awesome things to see at Upper Geyser Basin. Multiple "Visitor Center" type facilities aside, there are plenty of trails with smaller geysers and colorful bubbling pools. When I say "trails," I don't mean your typical dirt hiking trail either. Yellowstone has plenty of those too, but the trails around Upper Geyser Basin are either paved or on wooden platforms. Many (if not most) are even handicap accessible! Like many of the incredible attractions at Yellowstone, the geysers and bubbling pools at Upper Geyser Basin are beautifully otherworldly.

This is the basin where Old Faithful is located, so you know this area is popular. Tourists gather here at all times to wait for it to erupt, which is every forty-five to ninety minutes. There is much to see and do in this area and you can spend quite a bit of time here. The historic Old Faithful Inn is also here and it is something to see, with its log lobby and huge fireplace! There are other geysers to see here as well, with walking paths to them. The Lower Geyser Basin and the Fountain Paint Pots are located in the area close by as well, so there's a lot of get in while you're here. This area is a must-do in the park at least once, but it's very popular. Coming early in the day will help with the crowds a bit, I think.

It your driving past make sure you stop lots of parking and an easy walk to the geysers it's not like your going to see one everyday. It's worth stopping

EASILY SPEND A HALF DAY HERE Just check out the size of the parking lot--no doubt this is the most popular place in YNP. With Old Faithful as its star resident there's lounges, delis, ice cream shops, a famous resort, and enough gift shops and tourists with SLR cameras to easily remind oneself of Walt Disney World... and that's not even counting the natural attractions. Luckily many signs predict the next eruption of Old Faithful so you can plan how to kill your time while waiting. The Visitor Center is pretty hands on with lots of easy-to-read background information for all ages as well as many graphics and displays to entertain the younger ones. The Center can be completed in less than an hour. NATURE NATURE NATURE But it's easy to get away from the elbow-to-elbow crowds. Besides the reliable Old Faithful, there are scores of other geysers as well as hot springs here and the boardwalks connect your paths around and over the dangerous ground to each one. While most geysers are at least 50 feet away, some (like the very impressive Beehive Geyser) can easily shoot steam and water into the awestruck crowd nearby leading them to come away soaked and giddy. Grand geysers like Beehive and Castle also have signs nearby predicting their next eruption. Both were cooler than Old Faithful. Try and hike up to the Observation Point to get a basic feel of hiking uphill and into nature. You leave the boardwalk paths and climb dirt and small rocks--but the view is fantastic! SERVICE AND CLEANLINESS The cleanliness of everything was top-notch. No trash anywhere. Only the sometimes smells from the public restrooms were off. Every employee I saw appeared chipper although they were constantly moving. Nobody was ever idle. When you can finally track one down, they're quick and eager to answer questions.