Lone Star Geyser

Weather:  72º, sun and clouds 

About this Hike: On the way to Fairy Falls I noticed the Lone Star Trailhead. I was intrigued. Further research showed an easy hike of a few miles would lead to an active geyser. I was sold. 

The hike follows a road, much of which is paved. Despite not feeling completely like a nature trail through the woods, the road does follow the Firehole River which is absolutely beautiful.

A quick side trail jaunt revealed a basin with two small geysers. One was steaming while another one filled with crystal-clear gray water frequently spurted up small eruptions. 

I continued on, looking forward to seeing the Lone Star Geyser. Soon the chalky white geyser basin came into view. In the middle was Lone Star. The geyser is a tall cone with mineral deposits coating the sides. It looks like a giant candle, especially as little wisps of steam would frequently go up out of it. 

While nothing like Old Faithful, there is an impromptu waiting area complete with signage to stay out of the geyser basin. A logbook allows visitors to track Lone Star's frequent eruptions. 

I hung around the basin area for a while anxiously hoping to witness an eruption. The geyser would boil loudly and steam would escape. Eventually a few splashes jumped up. It was a big tease, until about 30 minutes in to my wait.

At that point Lone Star began erupting, spewing hot water into the air and all down its sides. After watching these eruptions for about 30 minutes, I decided it was time to hike back. Part of me wanted to stay around longer--FOMO I guess, but for how long can one watch spewing hot water? 

Lone Star was an unplanned stop, but one that I am very glad to have enjoyed.

Yellowstone Natural Bridge

Weather:  78º, stormy 

About this Hike:  Natural Bridge was one of the hikes on the original itinerary. Since this is a relatively short and straightforward hike, I stopped here while making my way down to Grant Village. 

The skies were getting cloudy when I began the hike, but the clouds were a welcome respite from the high-altitude heat. 

The hike follows an old road eventually reaching the namesake natural bridge. It is a neat feature of the park with a well-defined rock arch and a little stream trickling underneath. 

The trail goes up to the top of the bridge and you can even walk in the middle of the arch. I'm honestly surprised the park service allows this, but then I guess the bridge is fairly strong. 

I wrapped up on top of the bridge as the first rumbles of thunder began to be heard. By the time I was into the short hike back to the parking lot, it was a full on downpour. Despite lots of thunder, I never saw any lightning. The wind got much worse as I approached the parking lot. I finished just in time. Not surprising, I got caught in a small traffic jam due to a lodgepole pine that had blown down and was blocking half the main road. 

Beaver Ponds

Weather:  76º, sun 

About this Hike: Yesterday I took some time to explore the Mammoth Hot Springs at Yellowstone.  At the hot springs I noticed the Beaver Ponds Trailhead. 

Beaver Ponds ended up being a fantastic hike. As the name implies, it takes you into the woods beyond the hot springs and to several ponds. One of them had a distinct beaver dam, while another hiker told me she saw a beaver. I waited around the beaver dam for a while, but nobody poked his head up. 

I was nervous about wildlife, having read some previous reviews of this trail. However, I started mid morning and was accompanied by a good number of other hikers. Being as this is a loop, hikers were coming from both directions. 

A beaver sighting would have been nice, but in the end I saw no wildlife. Regardless, the scenery and views were spectacular. 

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. 

Undine Falls

Weather:  80º, clouds and sprinkles

About this Hike:  After the unpleasant heat at Hellroaring, a little rain shower was a welcome relief. I visited both Wraith Falls and Undine Falls, but Undine was the more noteworthy. The trail actually begins at Lava Creek Picnic Area. I mistakenly parked first at the Undine Falls Overlook. 

The trail goes through sagebrush meadow and eventually a short side trail leads to an overlook at the top of the falls. The All Trails map continues on past this point, so I decided to see where it would lead.

Eventually the falls come into view again, but this time a lot more distant. On the hike back I noted that Wraith Falls was visible in the distance. 

Hellroaring Creek

Weather:  88º, sun and clouds

About this Hike:  After Monument, I headed to the north end of Yellowstone. Hellroaring was one of the original hikes on my itinerary. I noted this one last fall during a family trip to Yellowstone where we drove through Lamar Valley.

This hike ended in a hell-roarin' disappointment. One mile down a steep embankment, the trail reaches the Yellowstone River. A sturdy steel suspension bridge traverses the chasm. The railings are high, but they are see-thru metal mesh. It's as safe a crossing as you'll ever find. But I couldn't do it. I have severe fear of heights, and seeing down on both sides triggered a panic attack when I attempted the crossing. Sadly, my fear of heights is a hinderance to the outdoor activities I love so much... 

I intended to go one more mile to see the namesake Hellroaring Creek, but it never happened. The hike back up from the bridge was very hot and unpleasant. This wasn't one of my favorites in Yellowstone. 

Monument Geyser

Weather:  86º, sun 

About this Hike:  Monument Geyser Trailhead caught my eye while driving into the park yesterday. After my first day in Yellowstone I did some research. Monument would be my inaugural Day 2 hike. 

The hike initially parallels the Gibbon River then goes through thick lodgepole pine forest. While elevation gain is less than 1,000 feet, it comes at you fast. The climb up to the geyser basin is steep and was challenging in the high-altitude summer heat.

The reward at the end of this trail consists of a chalky geyser basin and some steaming thermal features. There's a small drainage channel from a hot spring, and the water was still sizzling. I carefully used the rocks placed over it to step accross.

Based on the dry drainage channels, I would say Monument Geyser does erupt, but I am unsure of when and how often. It was quiet when I visited.