We spent about 35 minutes exploring the upper geyser basin, near the Old Faithful geyser. We…read morefollowed the boardwalk passing the beehive geyser, the plume geyser, the heart spring & beautiful turquoise pools.

This review is for Upper Geyser Basin & Old Faithful Observation Point Loop which was a ~4.9 miles…read moreround 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

Amazing mudpot which is an acidic hot spring with a limited water supply. Acid from the volcanic…read moregases and microorganisms decompose the surrounding rock into clay and mud. Mud pot, consistency, and activity vary with the seasons and precipitation.

The Fountain Paint Pots Trail is one of my favorite quick stops in Yellowstone. At just about a…read morehalf-mile loop on an easy boardwalk, it's short enough for families and casual visitors but still delivers some of the park's most fascinating geothermal features in one compact area. Walking the trail feels like stepping into another world. You'll see bubbling mud pots, steaming fumaroles, colorful hot springs, and even small geysers along the way. The "paint pots" themselves are especially fun to watch--the mud bubbles and plops like a cauldron, and depending on the season, the colors and textures shift, almost like the earth is painting itself. The steam rising from the ground, the strange smells of sulfur, and the constant bubbling sounds make the whole experience feel alive and otherworldly. I really appreciated how accessible the trail is. It's flat, easy to navigate, and perfect if you're traveling with kids or just want a short walk that still gives you that "wow" factor. Since it's a boardwalk, you can get close views without worrying about damaging the fragile ground. If you're exploring Yellowstone, don't skip this stop--it's quick, unique, and a perfect snapshot of the park's geothermal magic. https://linktr.ee/reessroots

Beautiful National Park. So pristine and amazing preserved natures…read more It is a must see for me when in Wyoming. We were in group tour , the best way to know the history of the park.

It is the attraction at Yellowstone. It is truly faithful given its consistency. Since it's one of…read morethe "must visit" places when you visit Yellowstone note that there will almost always be heavy traffic. We went in the morning which felt more available, but it felt like we were in city traffic when we were trying to leave. Old Faithful erupts every 90 minutes +/- 10 minutes. This makes it easier to predict when the next eruption will occur. The visiting center will also post the next approximate time for the eruption, so you don't have to linger around the entire time. There are plenty of stores and restaurants you can check out if you want to fill in some of that wait time with something else. My group went in a rental vehicle, but there are plenty of tour buses that stop by Old Faithful. If you want to take a tour bus up there, that's another option.

What a magical place. So fortunate that had the chance the visit and I can't wait to go back…read more I don't think I can add more to what's been said but I think these tips would help The first time visitor. 1. Yellowstone is a massive park and you'll need to be strategic before you visit as to what you want to experience 2. You will need Bear mace. Get it ahead of time. 3. Give yourself more time than you think. Distances are long, roads are slow, and wildlife jams are common. 4. Arrive early or stay late. Midday (10am-4pm) is busiest. Early mornings and evenings are quieter and best for wildlife You would think this is a no-brainer but I can't even put a number as to how many times international visitors ignored the placards and signs. This is why visitors fall into pools and don't come back. 5. Stay on boardwalks and trails. The ground can be dangerously thin and hot. 6. Never touch thermal features. Water can be near boiling and acidic. 7. Supervise kids closely. Injuries here are serious and often fatal. 8. Leave the animals alone. Keep a safe distance. The animals are not pets. The buffalos and deers let only bears can do serious damage to your vehicle. Imagine what they can do to you. Be respectful and leave them alone. General guidelines Bison, elk, deer: at least 25 yards (23 m) Bears & wolves: at least 100 yards (91 m) Bison are NOT docile. They injure more people than bears. Lastly, keep a plastic bag for your trash in your car and dump properly. Yellowstone has this rule about trash Pack it in, pack it out If you bring it, you take it with you. This includes food scraps, peels, wrappers, and tissues. I learned a lot and left my heart there. Can't wait to go back.

Day 1 (06/12/2025), drove from Hideaway Hostel in Island Park, ID to West Yellowstone entrance in…read moreMT. I'd suggest purchasing an annual pass for all fee free entry into the national parks and monuments. It can be bought at a visitor center (outside the park). There are four lines at the pay area, I was told that if you prepay for an annual pass that the right lane is the quickest. That's false, it is the longest and the others are faster to get through the gate. All accept the annual pass. You show the pass and your DL at the gate to get in free. Or you can purchase $35 Yellowstone pass good up to 7 days. If you plan on going early in the morning, expect long lines and wait time once inside the park. If you see multiple cars putting on their breaks, look to your left and right because I guarantee they have spotted wildlife. There's signs throughout the park that says not to stop in the middle of the road to take pictures, but people still do it. Be patient and enjoy the scenery. First stop: Old Faithful in the Upper Geyser Basin. If you go during the week, it is crowded. Parking can be limited. Old Faithful spouts every half hour, so if you miss it the first time don't panic. You can see it again. Inside the visitor center, there's a gift shop (pricey and small), an exhibit to learn about science of the geysers, an auditorium to watch a free historical educational movie. There's areas to find food and more gifts. The upper geyser basin has smaller geysers and Old Faithful can be seen from that area. 2nd stop: Grand Primastic Geyser, located in the midway geyser basin. Again, very crowded. Parking is limited in the designated parking area, so you may need to parallel park on the side of the road and 10 minutes walk in. The boardwalk is very accessible for wheelchairs, rollators, and disabled individuals. The path is easy to maneuver with a slight incline in one part. The views are stunning! If you plan on wearing a hat, hold tight to it because it will fly off. I spotted about 5 hats sitting on the bacteria mats. The overlook views are spectacular, but if you can get a closer look at the ground. The overlook of the grand p. Path Isn't accessible. Stairs in some parts. 3rd stop: Artists paintpots/mud pots, very cool. Less crowded, parking lot had open spots. Restroom on site. The walk in was about a 1 mile. To get to the top, there were wide stairs. View is beautiful overlook the park and some mountains. The mud spots reminds me too much of the Labyrinth scene. Coming down were more stairs. Saw some blood geysers (reddish in color). Day 2 (06/13/2025): 1st stop at Beryl Springs/Monument Geyser Basin, 2nd view at Obsidian cliff, 2nd stop at The Range, 3rd stop at Golden gate. 4th stop at Mammoth Hot springs, 5th stop at Petrified Tree (redwood; silicia). Lunch at Roosevelt Lodge (vegan options) 6th stop at Phantom Glacier. 7th stop at Lamar River and 8th stop at Lamar Valley Day 3 (06/14/2025): 1st stop at Gibbon Falls, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, upper and lower falls, Inspiration Point, Grand view, Artist Point, Trout Creek, Lake Yellowstone, Hayden Valley, and West Thumb Geyser Yellowstone National Park was a treat, absolutely beautiful seeing the mountain range, lots and lots of wildlife. Don't let the pictures fool you, it was extremely busy in mid-June. If you decide to come early in the morning, there's long lines entering through the park. The best time to come is in the afternoon. West Thumb Geyser basin was my favorite portion of the park because it was the least crowded and most versatile scenery. After seeing the bright oranges and yellow at the Grand Prismatic, I was happy to see deep blue geysers all while looking out into lakes with mountain backdrop. Overall, Yellowstone National Park is a must see in one's lifetime. There's no park like it. It was my goal to see bears and I saw exactly that towards dusk at 7:00 PM. Over here in WY, it's gets dark by 9:00 PM. I came with a person who was afraid of driving on the mountain curves since she's afraid of heights, so I'll have to come back to see the parts I didn't get to see. Thank you to President Ulysses Grant for establishing this discovery making it a national park. Thank you to Teddy Roosevelt for caring to conserve and protect this park!

One of the distinctive parts of Yellowstone. It's a very unique experience to see so many geysers…read moreat once. You can see so many different types of geyser formations, colors and shapes. If you want to walk around, there is a route available. It can be anywhere from a 20 to 40 min walk depending on how much distance you want to travel. I recommend bringing a hat because you can feel the sun pretty quickly once the steams disappear. Clouds move pretty quickly, so you may get a bit of shade, but it doesn't last long. Oh, and hold onto your hats. If it gets blown off and onto the geyser, you can't pick it back up. You must stay on the wooden bridge. Personally, I was not a fan of the smell, but it's a natural side effect of the geysers. There are some pretty active geysers here as well - just not as large as Old Faithful.

There were a lot of interesting and bubbling gesyers and thermal features here. Definitely worth a…read morestop! We visited in October and this area was lower traffic. It was wonderful to be able to take our time and look at all the different features !

About roughly halfway during the Firehole Lake Drive off Grand Loop Road near Grand Prismatic…read moreSpring you'll reach White Dome Geyser. It is as the name suggests: it's in the shape of a white dome. It's definitely a lesser known geyser so if you're looking to avoid the crowds this will be a good geyser (along with the others on the road) to check out and hopefully catch an eruption.

"Oh girl, you stand by me I'm forever yours, faithfully"…read more(Journey) I must admit it. Seeing Old Faithful do its thing right on schedule was extremely cool. The Visitor Center has plenty of viewing opportunities to see the show through huge glass windows, or you can do what we did and get as close as possible to the action for amazing photos and videos. The Old Faithful geyser has highly predictable geothermal features which allows the Park Service to post an approximate time to the next eruption. The time between eruptions has to do with a "bimodal distribution". Now if you majored in math, you MAY know what this is, but for me and the non-Math majors, it means that eruptions will be either 65 or 91 minutes away, depending on the length of the prior eruption. There is a ten-minute margin of error in the calculations, but on our visit the predicted time was right on target. And when it did erupt, it was quite a spectacle. The steam from underground boiling water can shoot up to a height between 106 and 185 feet and last from 1 1/2 to 5 minutes. Amazing.......

There is a wall of windows where we watched the 2nd eruption of Old Faithful…read more Beautiful and huge visitor center. A lot of information about Yellowstone Park and an impressive hands-on children's laboratory. There were lots of park rangers and volunteers that were incredibly helpful. There were four huge bison around the visitor center and the Rangers kept us at a safe distance. Yesterday a man was gorged by a bison here.

This was our main site seeing destination inside Yellowstone National Park. We got to the area…read moreright on time because about 5 minutes after we got to the geyser it went off. It was a really cool experience and a must when visiting Yellowstone. I know when my family came this way when I was a child, while most others got to see it, I wasn't feeling well so my mom and I hadn't gotten a chance that trip to come to Old Faithful. I'm glad I was finally able to see it in its full glory. It is quite crowded, so when it comes to pictures just try to stay aware of your surroundings. Try to stay out of main pathways as well as being conscious of the fact it's practically impossible to get photos without others in the background and you'll probably end up in some photos too. If you're already here, don't skip past this well known spot, it's a fun experience for sure. The park is big so if you want to see it all I can see it taking days, especially since the fastest you can go is 40-45 miles an hour with a lot of areas actually being closer to 25. Both my husband and I were so glad we stopped by.

You don't go to Yellowstone and skip Old Faithful-you just don't. Even if it's June and snowing…read moreoutside. You bundle up and go, baby! There's a massive parking lot and some paved walkways to get to the viewing area-very accessible to all. Signs outside will indicate the next anticipated eruption time-which are usually pretty accurate, hence the name. It's a fun experience-gathering with a bunch of other excited strangers, watching and waiting for Mother Nature to burp. As people are waiting, they are taking each other's pictures for them, asking where everyone is from and inquiring about the wildlife sightings experienced that day. It's community building. The actual eruption lasts just a few minutes, but is worth seeing at least one. And who knows? Maybe you'll make a new friend while you wait.

The hike to the Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook is amazing and totally worth it! It's not too…read moredifficult -- mostly a mix of flat surfaces with some slightly elevated areas, making it manageable for most people. Once you reach the viewpoint, the spot can get a little crowded, but the view is absolutely stunning and unforgettable. One small request to fellow visitors: please respect others and let everyone take pictures peacefully so everyone can enjoy the experience. Definitely a must-do hike if you're visiting Yellowstone!

One of my favorite spots at YNP!…read more I recommend you visit mid day to experience the full colors of grand prismatic. You can also hike the fairy falls hike to the overlook. It's about 1.5 miles round trip. It's not difficult, however there's a small area that is a little steep. We experienced the springs in cloudy/ gloomy day and the next day, very sunny and warm weather. Both experiences were amazing and unique.

This is such a beautiful region in Yellowstone. It's centrally located on the grand loop between…read moreYellowstone Lake and Yellowstone Falls. It is also a great spot to see lots of wildlife. Bison, elk, ducks, wolves, and lots of birds roam around this Valley. There are several turnouts along the road that you can pull over and take pictures at. The Yellowstone river is on the east side of the road. I made quite a few stops along the way and enjoyed the scenic views and the breezy weather with my morning coffee. It was a nice way to start my day. I was even able to get close enough to capture a bald eagle in flight. This Valley is named for of Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden who conducted geological surveys in this region in the 1800's.

One of the few traffic jams I actually enjoy being a part of!…read more This is well-known as the roaming land of the bison, so if you're looking to see wildlife you definitely need to drive through this area. This is on the eastern portion of the loop a bit south of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. As a safety precaution because for some reason this happens every year: do NOT get too close to the bison and do NOT provoke them in any way! When they get agitated they will bellow and pound their feet in a revving motion, and you definitely don't want to be near them when that happens. I was talking to a ranger and he mentioned that they start coming to Hayden Valley and the park in late May or early June and leave in September, so if you're looking to see the most bison you can I'd recommend somewhere in the middle. I went in early August and I saw tons of them. Being stuck in a traffic jam in Hayden Valley is just one of the unique experiences at Yellowstone that you don't get in many places, and I recommend pulling off to take pictures of them, at a safe distance of course.