Fairy Falls

Weather:  70º, sun and clouds

About this Hike:  Yesterday's rain brought some welcome cooler temps today. The higher humidity resulted in obscured views of the geothermal features. No worries though, as I wasn't about to elbow through tourists on the boardwalk around Grand Prismatic. Instead, I was planning a hike to Fairy Falls.

This is a very easy hike over flat trail and with virtually no elevation gain (unless you do the side trail to the Grand Prismatic lookout).  The relative ease, plus the fact Fairy Falls shares it's parking area with Grand Prismatic, results in a very busy trail. 

Regardless, I managed to find a few minutes of respite from the crowds. The trail winds through dense forest, eventually arriving at the namesake waterfall.

Fairy Falls is tall and narrow--a wispy, white cascade. It spills into a shallow pool at the base. There's plenty of shade and seating at the base pool, and it made a nice lunch spot. 

I wish I would have understood the All Trails map better, as it looks like hiking a little further past the falls leads to a thermal feature called Imperial Geyser. Maybe I'll check this out next time.

On the way back I took time to observe the back side of the drainage field around Grand Prismatic. The light was just so that through my polarized lenses I could see the colors of the prismatic spring reflected in the steam cloud. I was happy to enjoy this view and avoid the chaos on the boardwalk.