Journey Through Yellowstone, Day 2: Upper Geyser Basin and Old Faithful

Our second day in Yellowstone National Park was shaping up to be a lot more than just a stroll near beautiful sights. It was very much a thorough, educational experience, introducing us to some of the world’s most fascinating geothermal features. After visiting Lower and Midway Geyser Basins, and observing Grand Prismatic Spring’s stunning array of colors, we thought we had seen much of the important stuff. Our plan was to continue moving south on Grand Loop Road and go check out Old Faithful, Yellowstone’s most famous geyser, located in the Upper Geyser Basin.

Upper Geyser Basin

As we pulled out of the parking lot at Midway Geyser Basin, I opened the park map and noticed a couple of marked areas before Old Faithful that sounded rather intriguing. Naturally, my curiosity got the better of me, and I insisted that we stop and check them out. Hubby and the kids agreed somewhat less enthusiastically, but came along anyway…and they didn’t regret it!

Biscuit Basin

The first stop we made was at Biscuit Basin, and this area ended up being one of my favorite in the whole park. I highly recommend that you don’t skip it, even if your legs are starting to complain a little!

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Biscuit Basin Loop Trail: EASY boardwalk, 0.65 miles round trip; here is a little more information about Biscuit Basin

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We got out of the car and started walking on the trail. At this point, we had lost track of my parents, who were perhaps on their way to Old Faithful. I figured we would make this a quick stop, and meet them shortly thereafter.

The trail lead us over the Firehole River, and near a pair of beautiful hot springs pools – Black Opal Pool and Black Diamond Pool. We enjoyed the serene view for a minute, and continued following the boardwalk. However, this quick pace didn’t last for long!

Sapphire Pool

We quickly came to the next feature on the trail, and this one really amazed and kept us staring in awe for a while. The path had taken us to Sapphire Pool, which was the most mesmerizing, pristine blue color I have ever seen in my life! All of us stood there in disbelief, pondering how this was even possible…how did Mother Nature manage to create something so perfectly magnificent?! If you see one thing in Biscuit Basin, be sure it is Sapphire Pool…and prepare to be astonished!

Other Geothermal Features in Biscuit Basin

After some time, we finally resumed our walk on the trail. However, all of us kept glancing back to take one more look at Sapphire Pool. As we moved on, we discovered there were many other fascinating features in Biscuit Basin. Most noteworthy, in the order we saw them, were: Jewel Geyser, Avoca Spring, West Geyser, and Mustard Spring.

Black Sand Basin

When we completed the fantastic Biscuit Basin loop, we drove to the next stop indicated on the map: Black Sand Basin. There, hubby and the kids decided they would rest and wait for me in the car, so I was on my own for this short hike. It turned out this was another worthwhile stop and I highly recommend you check it out!

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Black Sand Basin Trail: EASY boardwalk, 0.25 miles round trip

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Cliff Geyser

The first feature on the trail was Cliff Geyser, perched right on the Firehole River bank. It was an active little geyser that kept splashing water up in the air without interruption.

Emerald Lake

The next stop along the trail was Emerald Lake, which was perhaps the most notable feature in Black Sand Basin. As the name implies, it was deep, emerald green in the middle, surrounded by a ring of bright orange bacterial growth.

Rainbow Pool and Sunset Lake

After I admired the serene beauty of Emerald Lake for some time, I moved on to а couple more beautiful sights: Rainbow Pool and Sunset Lake. These lovely creations of Nature featured another array of stunning colors, combined and blended in wondrous new ways.

Opalescent Pool and Spouter Geyser

I took a little time to enjoy the beautiful scenery, and then made my way back to the car. Just as I was about to get in, I noticed that off to one side of the parking lot, there was more to see. So I walked over to that area, and saw a bunch of semi-petrified Lodgepole pine trees standing in and around a glimmering small pool, appropriately named Opalescent Pool. Not far from it was Spouter Geyser, which joyfully spouted a low but steady stream of water.

Satisfied that I had covered the beautiful Black Sand Basin pretty well, I was finally ready to get back on the road…and so, we headed towards the mighty Old Faithful Geyser.

Old Faithful at Last

It didn’t take us long to make our way to the Old Faithful Lodge in the heart of Upper Geyser Basin, but finding a place to park was another story. We circled around a few times, and eventually got lucky and managed to snag a good spot. Just as we were walking towards the entrance of the lodge, I noticed my parents’ parked car. Now, we just had to somehow find each other among the crowds.

At the Lodge

Inside the lodge, we discovered a board at the reception desk with the predicted time for the next Old Faithful eruption. It wasn’t going to happen for another 35 minutes, so we had plenty of time to look for my parents, get a quick lunch, and find a good viewing spot.

Just as we headed towards the cafeteria, the kids spotted their grandparents, “baba” and “diado,” and ran towards them. At last, we had found each other! Cheerfully, we all lined up for some food, then sat down to enjoy it before the much anticipated Old Faithful display. To our delight, we even had some time to get ice cream before stepping out on the lodge balcony and finding a few empty chairs.

Building Anticipation

From our seats, we could clearly see the Old Faithful cone and some steam coming from the geyser’s fount near the center. All around it, throngs of people were waiting for the show to begin. According to the time on the board inside the lodge, the eruption would happen in just a couple of minutes. The excitement was building and everyone was getting ready to capture the moment. There wasn’t a single person in the vicinity who didn’t have a cellphone or camera pointed at the geyser.

Old Faithful Extravaganza

As the seconds passed, we noticed that the steam coming from the geyser began to increase. Then suddenly, an impressive fountain of hot water burst towards the sky reaching at least 100 feet. Everyone watched in awe while snapping photos and taking videos. To say it was amazing would be quite an understatement!

This marvelous display also thoroughly impressed our kids, who meticulously timed the length of the eruption. They took this very seriously because it was one of the tasks they had to complete in their Junior Ranger Booklets! In the end, the Old Faithful extravaganza lasted right around two minutes, which certainly gave us plenty of time to take photos and enjoy the incredible view.

Bizarre #Yellowstone story: In 1882, Old Faithful Geyser was used as a washing machine for the dirty laundry of General Sheridan and his men. They would throw their clothes in and collect them after they got ejected by the powerful eruption! 🤔 #places #nationalparks #travel

— Vessy (@feelgoodntravel) November 5, 2018

Leaving Old Faithful for Now

After the show ended and Old Faithful went back to steaming calmly, we had to figure out our plan for the rest of the day. By this time, the kids were getting a bit cranky and tired from all the excitement. My parents kindly suggested to take them back to the hotel while hubby and I explored some more of the park. That sounded pretty good to us! The kids were also happy to relax and spend some time with “baba” and “diado.”

The Journey Continues

Hubby and I waved “goodbye” to everyone, and left the amazing Upper Geyser Basin…just the two of us. We didn’t have any particular plans as to where to go, so we decided to continue following the Grand Loop Road further west. Little that we knew, we were on our way to see what ended up being some of my favorite areas of Yellowstone, West Thumb Geyser Basin and Artist Point.

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Resources to Help Plan Your Trip to Yellowstone

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• The Official Website for the Park – The official Yellowstone website by the National Park Service. Here you can find everything you need to know about Yellowstone.
• MAP of Yellowstone National Park – A map of Yellowstone from the National Park Service cartography site.
• My Yellowstone Park – A nice website that offers great resources and information about Yellowstone National Park. You can even get a FREE Yellowstone Trip Planner.
• Yellowstone National Park Apps – Here is information about the FREE Yellowstone Apps you can download for your smart phone.

Lodging and Dining

• Yellowstone National Park Lodges – Visit this website to see all available lodging options within the park, and to make a reservation.
• RV Rental – Here is a great website where you can rent an RV near your home, or if you prefer, rent an RV near Yellowstone. This is sure to make for an exciting and unforgettable adventure!
• Where to Eat in Yellowstone – Stop by this web page from the National Park Service to see all the dining options inside the park. This would be especially useful if you aren’t planning to bring your own food.

Note: Unless otherwise indicated, the photos in this post were taken by Vessy with a Nikon D3100 camera. Please send us an e-mail (vessy@feelgoodandtravel.com) if you would like to use any of them. All images are subject to copyright laws.

This trip took place on August 13, 2015.

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