Top Things to do in Yellowstone National Park
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What to do and see in Yellowstone National Park, Yellowstone National Park: The Best Hot Springs & Geysers
Established in 1872, Yellowstone National Park is a national treasure. Located primarily in Wyoming, the park also extends into Montana and Idaho. Yellowstone has active geothermal features with geysers and boiling mud pots throughout the park. The most famous is Old Faithful, a geyser that has erupted on the clock for decades. Travelers be warned, July is the busiest month of the year, with almost a million visitors alone. The park has a tour bus system, nine visitor centers, and 2,000 campsites.
1. Upper Geyser Basin
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,302 reviews
Most of the geysers in Yellowstone Park can be found here.
Reviewed By I5101IEjayd - Bloomsburg, United States
We were lucky enough to have the timing fall for us to see three eruptions during our walk on the trail, plus the morning Glory pool at the end is a mini grand prismatic that you can get within feet of, if you are lucky enough to time this trail, it will be one of the best trails you are on, but if the timing doesn't line up, 90% of the geysers on the path are nothing special to see.
2. Shoshone Geyser Basin
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 5 reviews
Reviewed By TractorDoc76 - Ashland, United States
I made a solo hike to the Shoshone Geyser Basin in mid September 2019. Round trip is roughly 20 miles but at least the elevation change was minimal. Make sure to leave early and know your hiking distance/ability before departing. First couple of miles follow an abandoned road along the Firehole River. The road leads you to Lonestar Geyser -- a destination worth seeing by itself. Beyond Lonestar the next mile or two switched between woods and views of open meadows. Several small hot springs/thermal features are not far from the trail. Backcountry campsites are located along the trail for overnighters. Soon you hike up into the woods for a couple miles and cross over the continental divide (unmarked). Not the most scenic part of the hike but some interesting rock formations surround you -- perfect place for a mountain lion to hide but luckily none were out on my day. :) Eventually you pass the junction with the Bechler River Trail and not long after pop out of the woods to follow the rather pleasant scenery of Shoshone Creek. Several creek crossings are involved (a couple bridged but the last involved balancing your way across a log) but soon you emerge from some trees to see the geyser basin in all its glory. I had the geyser basin to myself for several hours before I encountered another hiker. The experience of walking thru one of Yellowstone's thermal areas without boardwalks, signs, and crowds was well worth the ten mile effort. I felt like I could be looking at the area the same way Native Americans or early explorers had seen it. Shoshone Creek resembled a miniature version of the Firehole River in the Upper Geyser Basin. Many springs were steaming, bubbling, and boiling. The three cones of dormant Union geyser looked to have been quiet for quite some time. Minute Man Geyser was the most lively and active feature near the trail. It would erupt nearly every minute for 15-20 seconds as its name implies. I took so many photographs. . . next time I'd like to hike in and camp at one of the nearby backcountry sites to be able to spend more time in the basin. Before hiking back ot the trail head I took the short spur trail over to Shoshone Lake and dipped my feet in the water for a bit (highly recommend). The lake itself is another jewel of the Yellowstone Backcountry. The ten mile hike back only seemed slightly longer than the hike out. . . but as a bonus I arrived in time to watch Lonestar Geyser erupt and had the show all to myself. The major geysers of the Upper Geyser Basin are wonderful but visiting the remoteness of the Shoshone Geyser Basin has been one of my most favorite Yellowstone experiences to date.
3. Grand Geyser
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 75 reviews
Reviewed By JenniferandAlan - Easton, United States
This is my favorite geyser but it usually involves waiting. Check for possible eruption time at the visitor and go and WAIT. If you see a crowd, WAIT. You won't be disappointed. This geyser is the highest and may have several bursts and the second burst may be even more spectacular than the first so don't leave if there is still water in the pool. You're on geyser time now.
4. Beehive Geyser
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 175 reviews
Reviewed By johnstephens75 - Cape Coral, United States
A ranger in the Inn told us that Beehive was expected to go off in the afternoon yesterday when I asked the closest route to Geyser Hill. He was right. We walked to the Hill and viewed several pools and small geysers and then could see Beehive Geyser from a distance because of its shape. We walked over to it and leaned on the railing, and I told my wife that if it were to erupt, we were going to get wet because the wind was blowing our direction. No more than two minute later, it began to erupt and sure enough, we got drenched. Surprisingly, the water wasn't hot; it was ice cold. The eruption lasted for several minutes and at its highest point, appeared to be around 150 feet tall, making it the highest erupting geyser we witnessed in Yellowstone.
5. Clearwater Springs
6. Frying Pan Spring
7. Grand Prismatic Spring
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,056 reviews
Brightly-colored hot spring, the result of algae that live in the water.
Reviewed By WanderingWithUsTwo - Phoenix, United States
One of the most popular and colorful is obviously the Grand Prismatic Spring. There are many others throughout the park and they even offer a small theater presentation about hot springs and geysers if you want to learn more. If you visit and want to see an aerial view you should stop by the nearby parking lot which has a trail that takes you to see the spring from above via the Fairy Falls trail. This gives you some better perspective of the entire spring and the surrounding areas. We hope to be back for several days next time and camp at one of the many campgrounds they have along the rivers! - @wanderingwithustwo
8. Mammoth Hot Springs
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,124 reviews
Beautiful limestone formations make this hot spring unique.
Reviewed By JerryR10 - Salt Lake City, United States
My wife, our son (17), and I have been in Yellowstone once before and were happy to come back. The Park is vast so we hadn't been to the Mammoth Hot Springs area on our first visit. We stayed nearby in Gardiner, MT, just outside the Park. Mammoth Hot Springs is beautiful, both for the larger-scale geology and the fine details that you see as new travertine terraces form, boling water flows, films and tendrils of extremophile bacteria grows, and so on. The hot springs change over time based on what's happening with the water below, so you see a mix of areas that are flowing and growing and areas that are dormant and decaying. We walked the full loop along boardwalks and the road, to see every vantage point. We did this first on Sunday morning, when it was quite busy, and again on Wednesday morning before breakfast when we had it almost to ourselves. Wonderful.
9. Lone Star Geyser
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 130 reviews
Famous geyser in Yellowstone National Park.
Reviewed By lillians594
I loved the steam phase, it was really cool! Also, it never stopped, or, at least that's what it seemed like.
10. Old Faithful
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 4,900 reviews
A popular geyser located in the Geyser Country region of Yellowstone National Park.
Reviewed By kellymV538YL
While on a trip to Yellowstone we went to watch the beauty of old faithful send its wonderful jet of hot steam up..its a dependable geyser since it erupts about every hour and it's a true wonder to film and enjoy later at home...I have seen it several times in my lifetime and hope to see it several more...the crowds were great with people from other countries enjoying the sight as well...I reccomend it to anyone planning on taking a trip to Wyoming to go to Yellowstone park but make ur reservations about a year ahead to get a cabin..the western cabins are very nice at old faithful snow lodge.qe stayed there 3 nights..its not cheap but very worth price as it's close to geysers and shops.
