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Yellowstone National Park Trails near Old Faithful
This short loop trail gives visitors a good chance of seeing a variety of geysers, from the ever-entertaining Anemone with its short intervals of 5-10 minutes to the impressive Beehive with its unpredictable eruptions reaching 100-150 feet!
Trailhead: Boardwalk in front of Old Faithful Visitor Center
Distance: 1.3 mile (1.2 km) loop
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Numerous other combination loops or one-way walks can be chosen in the Upper Geyser Basin. Features such as Castle, Grand, Riverside, and Daisy geysers along with Morning Glory Pool are easily accessed using the Old Faithful self-guiding trail map. Details on geyser prediction times may be obtained by stopping by the visitor center.
This trail gains about 200 ft. in elevation to a prominent overlook providing a great view of the Upper Geyser Basin.
Trailhead: Firehole River footbridge behind Old Faithful Geyser
Distance: 1.1 mile (1 km) loop
Level of Difficulty: Moderate
This trail climbs through lodgepole pine forest (some burned areas from the 1988 fires) and along meadows and rocky slopes before terminating at Mallard Lake.
Trailhead: Old Faithful Lodge cabin area
Distance: 6.8 miles (5.3 km) roundtrip
Level of Difficulty: Moderate
This mostly level trail follows an old service road along the Firehole River through unburned forests of lodgepole pine. The geyser, which erupts approximately every 3 hours, puts on a delightful show. This trail can be accessed by bicycle with the final approach to the geyser on foot.
Trailhead: 3.5 miles southeast of the Old Faithful area, just beyond Kepler Cascades parking area.
Distance: 5 miles (8 km) roundtrip
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Easily accessed by boardwalks less than a mile in length, Emerald Pool, Sunset Lake, Jewel Geyser, and Sapphire Pool are among the features found in these less visited basins. Both areas are included in the Old Faithful area trail guide.
Trailhead: 0.5 and 2 miles north of Old Faithful area, respectively
Distance: Less than 0.5 (0.5 km) miles each
Level of Difficulty: Easy
The boardwalk leads visitors by impressive features including Excelsior Geyser and Grand Prismatic Spring.
Trailhead: Parking area 6 miles north of Old Faithful
Distance: 0.5 mile (0.5 km) loop
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Yellowstone's four types of thermal features can be seen in one short walk along this loop trail: geysers, hot springs, mudpots, and fumaroles. A trail guide is available for this area, which also includes the Firehole Lake Drive area.
Trailhead: Parking area 8 miles north of Old Faithful
Distance: 0.5 mile (0.5 km) loop
Level of Difficulty: Easy
This trail follows a lovely creek through a lodgepole pine forest before reaching the 70- foot falls. By following a series of switchbacks, an overlook of the Upper Geyser Basin can be reached before looping back to join the main trail.
Trailhead: Back of the Biscuit Basin boardwalk
Distance: 2.4 miles (4 km) roundtrip
Level of Difficultly: Moderate
At 200 feet high, Fairy Falls is an impressive backcountry sight. It can be reached from two different trailheads. The first trailhead, 1 mile south of the Midway Geyser Basin, begins at a steel bridge across the Firehole River and follows the Fountain Freight Road hiking/biking trail for approximately 1 mile before the hiking-only trail to Fairy Falls branches off on the left. The second trailhead, 1/2 mile south of the Nez Perce picnic area on the Fountain Freight Road, follows the hiking/biking path from the northern end, 1-3/4 miles to the junction with the Fairy Falls trail.
Trailhead:
Steel Bridge parking area 1 mile south of the Midway Geyser Basin
Distance: 5 miles (8 km) from trailhead #1; 7 miles (5.5 km) from trailhead #2
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Maine ocean islands provide the only nesting sites for Atlantic puffins in the United States. Eastern Egg Rock in the midcoast region, Seal Island and Matinicus Rock at the mouth of Penobscot Bay, and Machias Seal Island and Petit Manan Island off the downeast coast provide habitat for more than 4,000 puffins each summer.