Old Faithful Overlook: One of my favorite Yellowstone short hikes

One of my favorite short hikes in Yellowstone National Park is the Old Faithful Overlook trail. This hike leads you up a hill where you have a bird’s eye view of Old Faithful, part of the Upper Geyser Basin, and the Old Faithful Inn. Find out what time Old Faithful is projected to erupt and give yourself time to get to the top.

There is a network of interlinking trails around Old Faithful. Depending on where you start hiking from, the trail to the overlook will be at least one mile. If you are still in the mood for hiking after you come off the overlook, you can venture out to Castle Geyser, Grand Geyser, or the Morning Glory Pool. Here is a National Park Service trail guide (PDF).

To get to the Old Faithful Overlook, start on the boardwalk around Old Faithful. Follow the boardwalk past the front of the Old Faithful Lodge, which is on the east side of Old Faithful village. Just past the Lodge you will come to a signed junction where you need to turn right. After just a minute you will cross a footbridge over the Firehole River. This is a great place to view the Firehole – in addition to the grasses and trees, you’ll see runoff from the geyser basin flowing into the river. It’s particularly beautiful early in the season when the grass is green.

Just past the bridge, turn east at the signed trailhead for the Observation Point trail. From here you are only about a half mile from the top, but you will gain about 175 feet of elevation. As you wander through the forest, don’t be surprised if you see buffalo, deer, elk or other animals – I’ve seen all three on this trail.

Near the Observation Point (but before you have climbed the hill) you will come to a junction. Head right to go to the top, or go left to see Solitary Geyser and come out on the Upper Geyser Basin.

From the top, you’ll see the forest you just walked through, the Upper Geyser Basin, the Old Faithful Inn and the Old Faithful Lodge. Behind Old Faithful village, you’ll see the forest regrowing out of the shadows of burned trees from the fires of 1988. It’s a great view – and you only have to hike a mile or two. The overlook is also one of the best places to photograph Old Faithful.

On the way back down, take the detour to Solitary Geyser. It erupts every five minutes or so. The show isn’t spectacular, but Solitary is unique because it is relatively isolated in the forest and because it was a spring before people diverted water from it, lowering the water level and inadvertently causing geyser activity; the water level has since been restored. From here, head south and you will rejoin the boardwalk system of the Upper Geyser Basin. There’s plenty more to explore.

Bear in mind that the Old Faithful area is the most popular in the park. If you’re looking for solitude on this trail, you need to either come very early or late in the season or very early or late in the day.

I hiked up to the overlook on April 19, 2008. The park received heavier snow than normal this winter, and there was plenty left on this trail – I postholed up to my knees frequently. Someone had gone up earlier in the day on snowshoes. The view, however, was worth the work. The snow should be gone in a few weeks.