Yellowstone National Park – Old Faithful Area & West Thumb Basin

Yellowstone National Park – Old Faithful Area and West Thumb Basin – We saved the best for the last – yes, we planned to visit the Old Faithful Area on our third day. I highly recommend saving the Grand Prismatic Spring for the last so you can appreciate the other geysers, mud pots, and hot springs. We also visited the West Thumb Basin which is a must. You have to do a lot of walking in the Old Faithful area if you have planned to view every geyser and springs in that area. Wish the day was sunny. It was cloudy on the day and there were heavy winds. With the third day, we wrapped up our visit to Yellowstone National Park with a lot of breathtaking moments and memories which will linger in our mind forever. 

 

OLD FAITHFUL AREA:

The Old Faithful area has the largest concentration of geysers and is categorized into three basins – Upper, Midway, and Lower. The Old Faithful area has the largest prismatic spring – Grand Prismatic Spring, chromatic pools like Morning Glory, erupting geysers like Old Faithful & Castle and many photogenic features like hot springs and geyser hill. One has to do a lot of walking trails to view the geysers and the springs.  I would highly recommend you to carry as many water bottles as you can and also visit Old Faithful as the first spot in your morning to avoid walking in the most heated part of the day.

UPPER GEYSER BASIN

The largest concentration of geysers in the world is in the Upper Geyser Basin. The eruption times of the six major geysers are predicted and posted in the Old Faithful Visitor Center. Among the six geysers, only five are in the upper geyser basin and the sixth – Great Fountain – is in the lower geyser basin.  The geyser eruption times change and every day and do check at the visitor center to plan our visit to the Old Faithful area.  You will see Old Faithful, Castle Geyser, hot springs, and a small geyser hill which features many geysers – active or dormant.

Old Faithful erupts more frequently than any of the other big geysers, though it is not the largest or most regular geyser in the park. Its average interval between eruptions is about 90 minutes, varying from 27 -102 minutes. An eruption usually lasts 1.5 to 5 minutes and expels maximum of 8400 gallons of boiling water and reaches a height of 184 feet. The Old Faithful geyser is spectacular to watch and usually the place will be much crowded to witness the eruption of the feature.

PLACES TO EXPLORE:

 

• Geyser Hill

   

   

  

  Grotto Geyser

  • Anemone Geyser – geyser which erupts every 7-10 minutes and one can watch the stages of a typical eruption
  • Plume Geyser – erupts every hour
  • Beehive Geyser – erupts once or twice daily when it is active
  • Lion Group – consists of 4 geysers – Little Cub, Lioness, Big Cup and Lion
• Doublet Pool –  pool with series of ledges, elaborate border ornamentation, and deep blue waters
• Solitary Geyser – lies between the Lion Group and Doublet Pool
• Giantess Geyser – a fountain-type geyser earned its name because of infrequent eruptions
• Castle Geyser – one of the largest siliceous sinter formations in the world
• Crested Pool – a sizzling pool which is constantly boiling and resulting in exceptionally clear blue water
• Grand Geyser – tallest predictable geyser in the world erupt
• Beauty Pool  and Chromatic Pool – pool with brightest colors
• Giant Geyser – dormant geyser
• Grotto Geyser – weirdly cone-shaped geyser
• Riverside Geyser – geyser on the bank of the Firehole River
• Daisy Geyser and Splendid Geyser – One of the geysers whose eruption is predicted
• Morning Glory Pool – blue pool named after the flower because of its resemblance with it
• Black Sand Basin – lies one mile northwest of Old faithful along the main road; named for the sand derived from the black volcanic glass; features Emerald Pool, Rainbow Pool, Sunset Lake and Cliff Geyser which erupts every few minutes.
• Biscuit Basin – three miles north of Old Faithful; named for the unusual biscuit like deposits that surrounds Sapphire Pool – one of the most beautiful pools in the park; features Mustard Spring and Jewel Geyser.

FAST FACTS:

• Upper Geyser Basin, home of Old Faithful, is one of the three large geyser basins along the Firehole River.
• Majority of the world’s active geysers are in the upper geyser basin.
• Rangers forecast the eruption time of five geysers here – Old Faithful, Castle, Grand, Daisy, and Riverside.
• Grand Prismatic Spring is in the midway geyser basin.
• The parking area in the midway geyser basin is limited, ensure to visit the Old Faithful area in the earlier part of the day.
• Doublet Pool is one of the most photographed features in the Old Faithful Area.
• Jewel Geyser in the Biscuit Basin erupts every 7-10 minutes.

TIPS:

• Old Faithful eruption time is available in the visitor center and it erupts more frequently than the other geysers.
• Check the eruption time for the geysers in the visitor center.
• The ribbons of color in and around the thermal features are usually formed by thermophiles.
• If the pool in the Grand Geyser looks full, wait awhile and the geyser might erupt with powerful bursts that last for 9-12 minutes.
• Anemone Geyser erupts often and one can watch the stages of a typical eruption. The cycle usually repeats for every 7-10 minutes.
• Doublet Pool is a famous spot for Photography
• Never ever miss the Morning Glory Pool as it is one of the best chromatic pool in the Old Faithful area.

We took the boardwalk from the Old Faithful Visitor Center and viewed all the features from Geyser Hill and walked until Morning Glory Pool. We visited the visitor center and noted down the eruption times. The Castle Geyser erupts once in 14 hours but it was predicted that Daisy Geyser will erupt around 2 PM. We took the paved path from the visitor center and waited near the Daisy Geyser’s eruption.  We were informed by the ranger that the eruption might not happen as it was windy and usually strong winds disrupt/delays eruption. But we were fortunate to watch the eruption of Daisy Geyser which lasted for about 5 minutes. We also noticed that the Splendid Geyser near to the Daisy also erupted. Watch for the hot springs near to the geyser. After an eruption, the water in the spring was sucked in and also, one could hear “chuck chuck” sound of the steam engine after the eruption completes.

We then headed to Morning Glory pool and I should say this is a must to do in the Old Faithful Area. The colors of the pool look beautiful and it looks like a smaller version of the Grand Prismatic Spring. I am still awestruck by the power of nature and couldn’t believe the action of thermophiles which created vibrant colors near to the geyser.

We viewed the chromatic pools, hot springs, geysers on our way and we could see the eruption of the Grand Geyser from a long distance. We hurried up and it was such a spectacular show of viewing the eruption of the world’s tallest geyser. The geyser erupts with powerful bursts rather than a steady column and the eruption usually lasts for about 12 minutes with 1-4 bursts. We couldn’t check out Black Sand and Biscuit Basin as it requires a short trail and we had very less time on our hand to check out other features in the park.

After checking out the geysers in the geyser hill, we then headed to the Midway geyser basin to view the most famous phenomenon in the Yellowstone National Park – Grand Prismatic Spring.

MIDWAY GEYSER BASIN

A smaller basin compared to the Upper Geyser but features Yellowstone’s largest hot spring – Grand Prismatic Spring. The parking in the Midway Geyser Basin is very limited and is usually occupied in the prime hours from 9 AM to 6 PM. Please plan accordingly. There is a paved boardwalk which gives a ground-level view of the spring. A short trail from Fairy Falls trailhead leads you to the overlook which gives bird’s eye view of the Grand Spring and is the only overlook available in the park to view the spring.

PLACES TO EXPLORE:

• Excelsior Geyser – gaping crater with a constant discharge of more than 4000 gallons water into the Firehole River
• Grand Prismatic Spring – Yellowstone’s largest hot spring with 370 feet in diameter and more than 121 feet in depth

FAST FACTS:

• Grand Prismatic Spring is a must stop for any photographer
• Please stay on the boardwalk and the path is usually slippery, hence walk cautiously
• Please safeguard your hats as the area is prone to strong winds
• Plan the spring in the early morning to avoid the crowd
   

Our next stop was the Lower Geyser Basin which is known for Fountain Paint Pot.

LOWER GEYSER BASIN

A larger area of hydrothermal activity which can be either explored by foot using the boardwalk in Fountain Paint Pot or by car along the three-mile Firehole Lake drive. The predicted Great Fountain geyser lies in the one way Firehole Lake drive.

PLACES TO EXPLORE:

     Fountain Paint Pots – contains all types of hydrothermal features – geysers, hot springs, mud pots, and fumaroles; an easy 0.5-mile boardwalk takes you to the features – Bacterial Mats, Silex Spring, Fountain Paint Pot, Leather Pool, and Red Spouter

    Geyser Area – a hydrothermal area with the geyser on the left side of the descending stairs and features – Twig Geyser, Jet Geyser, Morning Geyser, Spasm Geyser, and Celestine Spring.

      Firehole Lake Drive – 3 miles one-way drive which features Firehole Spring, Surprise Pool, Great Fountain Geyser, White Dome Geyser, Pink Cone Geyser, Steady Geyser, Firehole Lake and Black Warrior Lake.

FAST FACTS:

• Bobby Socks Trees – A common sight near active thermal features; lodgepole pine trees drowned in the super-heated water of shifting thermal activity; silica penetrated the trees and hardened their bases. The white silicified portions of the dead trees resemble the upper cuff of a type of ankle socks popular in America in the 1940’s.
• Celestine Spring is the last hot spring on the Fountain Paint Pot trail.
• Firehole Lake Drive is a one-way road and the driving distance is 2 miles.

TIPS:

• Plan Midway Geyser Basin in the early morning or before 9 AM to avoid crowds.
• Please never miss Grand Prismatic Spring.
• I highly recommend the trail to the spring overlook from the Fairy Falls Trailhead.
• Drive along the Firehole Lake to view the hydrothermal features.
• Take a stroll along the boardwalk in the Fountain Paint Pot area. The walking tour is approximately 0.5 miles.

By the time, we completed Old Faithful area, it was almost late-afternoon and we had West Thumb Basin in our plan for the day which I didn’t want to skip, hence we hurried to West Thumb Basin. And on our way, we saw many cars pulled out from the road and witnessed people standing in groups. Out of curiosity, we too got off from our car and we were jumping around in joy as we saw a Coyote. Yes, a Coyote standing alone in the mid of the field. As we were not advised to go near to the animal, we witnessed it from a long distance and captured through my lens. Again, my camera lens served as a binocular. We saw Pronghorns, Elk, herds of Bison and a Coyote during our 2 ½ days stay in the Yellowstone area.

WEST THUMB BASIN

West Thumb Basin overlooks Yellowstone Lake, the largest lake above 8,000 feet elevation in North America. The hydrothermal vents are seen along the shore of the lake and also look closely for the swirling patterns in the water which is caused by the hydrothermal vents at the bottom of the lake. Water from the lake is the only source for the plans and animal communities in the park.

PLACES TO EXPLORE:

• Thumb Paint Pots
• Seismograph and Bluebell – Blue Pools
• Lakeshore Geyser
• Fishing Cone
• Black Pool
• Abyss Pool
• Twin Geysers
• Central Basin – Surging Spring, Ledge Spring, collapsing Pool, Percolating Spring, Blue Funnel Spring, and Perforated Pool

FAST FACTS:

• Yellowstone Lake resembles a human hand; West Thumb is the large western bay that is considered as the thumb
• The trail in the West Thumb Basin is ½ mile around the outer boardwalk loop and a ¼ mile around the inner loop

 

I highly recommend to take this short trail in the West Thumb Basin and this Basin is entirely different than the other hydrothermal areas with the geysers in the lakeshore and some still erupting at the bottom of the lake. And also, you will get a chance to view and appreciate the vastness of the Yellowstone Lake closely.  By the time we completed the West Thumb Basin, it was almost dark and we decided to leave for the day – complete our visit to Yellowstone National Park. We loved every feature in the park and couldn’t get enough time to appreciate all the hidden gems in the park. Be it hydrothermal features, falls or lakes, every feature is breathtaking and one of a lifetime experience. And if you are an ardent photographer of Nature, then you will be completely in love with this park as it offers beautiful and chromatic pools, gorgeous falls and the valleys are famous for watching wildlife.

I know there are a number of posts related to the Yellowstone National park but even then I couldn’t do justice to the park. The entire park is so vast and features different types of hydrothermal activities, falls, canyons, lakes, and river. I have tried to convey most of the important features of the park and we tried hard to view most of the features. Though those two days were tightly packed, we loved waking up early in the morning to witness wildlife, watching geysers, mud pots, learning about the mechanism behind them, hiking to the falls and finally waiting for the geyser’s eruptions.

Yellowstone National Park – A must visit park which gives lifetime experience and features hydrothermal activities, Yellowstone Lake, majestic falls and a famous spot for watching wildlife.

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Thanks,

Karthi

Facts gathered from the Park Website and the Pamphlets. The pictures in the post are clicked by me. The content and the pictures in the post belongs to the author. Reproduction and distribution of the content/pictures without prior permission from the author are prohibited.