Category: Free Roaming Photography

Elevation change for the Beaver Ponds Loop
Elevation profile and route courtesy of the HAZ Tracks App

Distance: 5.75 miles (loop)
Difficulty: Moderate
Best time of year: Spring, Summer, Fall

The Beaver Ponds Loop is an excellent hike to get you away from the crowds at Mammoth Hot Springs, as well as provide you with fantastic views over the surrounding landscape. With plenty of open space, it’s also a great opportunity to potentially spot wildlife.

Tip: If you’re hiking in the evening, start the loop near Mammoth Hot Springs. If you’re hiking in the morning, start the loop from the back-side of the Mammoth Hotel. Heading in one direction or the other will be more conducive for the lighting at that particular time of day.

The main trailhead is located between the main restroom facilities and the Mammoth Hot Springs boardwalks. Begin your hike there as it follows Clematis Creek upward into a canyon. After .7 miles, the trail meets a junction which can take you farther into the backcountry toward Sepulcher Mountain, or along the Beaver Ponds Trail, the latter being our destination this time.

Take the fork to the right and follow the trail through rolling grassland hills spotted with evergreen trees. For a few brief moments, this part of the trail actually reminded me of many of the spots I saw on the stretch of the Arizona Trail that I was able to hike last spring.

Soon the trail opens up onto a large open hillside covered in high desert grasses. The views out toward Mount Everts and the Absaroka Mountains to the north are spectacular through this section. After enjoying the views, the trail winds back into an old forest and crosses a small creek.

Note: Along the way in this area I saw multiple pieces of litter. Under no circumstances are you ever to leave any pieces of trash behind. If you’re not prepared to carry everything out with you, then please do everyone else a favor and stay off the trail. This includes food trash, fruit peels, tissue paper, toilet paper, etc. Burying it also does not get rid of it. It’s only a matter of time before a predator comes to dig it up, endangering other hikers and subsequently leaving the trash sitting on the side of the trail. Leave no trace!

The trail continues to meander in and out of old forests and meadows until you finally come to the first beaver pond. Interestingly enough, you’ve also just crossed from Wyoming into Montana. The trail passes the pond, bringing you by another smaller one, and then to a couple of larger beaver ponds for which the trail is named. Given their size and significance, you can certainly see why such a great hike was created for them.

As the trail winds around the ponds to the east, great views of the mountains to the west come into view. Also on the eastern side is where the actual beaver dams are. The trail crosses the creek just downstream from one of the dams over an old log bridge, then climbs up a small ridge where nice views open up on top.

The trail continues through the forest, and then for the last mile, brings you out onto a large plateau known as Elk Plaza. It’s a massive grasslands area that you skirted the top of earlier in the hike. Now lower down and closer to the edge of the plateau, amazing views open up out in the distance and below (though it’s nothing anyone with a fear of heights should be concerned with). The trail heads just above the old Gardiner-Mammoth Road as you near the end, and both begin working their way down the hill to the back of the Mammoth Hotel. From here, it’s a short .3 mile walk back to the other trailhead.

Getting there: From the Mammoth Hotel, either walk to Mammoth Hot Springs and look for the trail just before the boardwalk, or, walk behind the hotel to the north and access the other end of the loop where the Old Gardiner Road heads up the hill. If you’re parking your car, look for a spot near the Liberty Cap, or in the parking lot across the street from it. If that’s full, another option is near the Visitor Center a bit farther north.

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Elevation change for Harlequin Lake
Elevation profile and route courtesy of the HAZ Tracks App

Distance: .5 miles (one way)
Difficulty: Easy
Best time of year: Spring, Summer, Fall

Harlequin Lake is a short and sweet hike for anyone wanting to take a break around the Madison Junction area. The trail is only one mile round trip and with the exception of a couple of moderately steeper sections, is overall an easy hike to an extremely picturesque lake tucked away against the rim of the Yellowstone Caldera.

The trail gently climbs through a young forest burned in the ’88 Fires. You’ll notice that some trees are growing quicker than others as it wanders north through the densely packed trees. At a little over halfway, the trail makes a sharp turn to the west where it also levels out and gradually brings you down to Harlequin Lake.

The lake is tucked away against the edge of a large cliff and though not terribly large, is big enough to consume a 180 degree view. Enjoy your time here, and head out the same way you can when you’re ready to leave.

Getting there: From West Yellowstone, enter the park and take the main highway east for 12 miles and look for a large parking area at the top of a knoll on the right side of the street. There will be a sign also marking the trailhead which begins on the other (north) side of the road.

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Elevation change for the Upper Geyser Basin
Elevation profile and route below courtesy of the HAZ Tracks App

Distance: Varies – up to 11 miles or less than 1 mile
Difficulty: Easy
Best time of year: Year-round

When people think of Yellowstone, they think of Old Faithful. The two go hand-in-hand and it’s impossible to think of one without the other. What most people don’t realize, however, is that there’s much more to see in the vicinity than just Old Faithful.

Old Faithful is part of the Upper Geyser Basin, a massive complex of thermal features that stretches all the way out to Biscuit Basin a couple of miles away. There are some geysers that are even bigger than Old Faithful, and a number of colorful and amazing hot springs unlike anywhere else in the park. The geyser basin is also divided up into sections, so if you don’t have much time, you can make a short walk around some of the interesting features, whereas if you have more time, you can experience the entire area and see all kinds of unique sights.

Note: When hiking in this area in spring, fall, or winter, it is common to see bison. Always give them the right of way. They are much bigger, faster, and stronger than you, and you will not win in a fight with them. Consider getting within 25 yards of them a challenge.

To begin your hike, start from Old Faithful and begin walking along a walkway toward some of the steam. There’s no right or wrong direction to follow, just head toward what looks interesting, but always stick to the boardwalks and walkways. For the sake of simplicity, I’m going to describe the walk that I did, including any options to make it a shorter or longer journey.

Upper Geyser Basin

Begin hiking from the Old Faithful Visitor Center to the west between Old Faithful Geyser and the Old Faithful Inn. As the path winds down toward the parking area, another path will lead off to the right. Follow that to be brought past Chinese Spring and the Firehole River where the path will continue around Old Faithful, merging with another trail where you can fork off to the left. This will bring you across the Firehole River and to a loop circling a large concentration of hot springs and geysers.

If you’re short on time, this is an excellent loop to make with the highlights being the Lion Geyser Group and Beehive Geyser, the latter reaching heights of roughly 200 feet! Check with the Visitor Center for predictions. Eruptions are typically only once a day, but sometimes difficult to predict. A short spur trail off of the loop will lead to Solitary Geyser, well worth the detour. Every 5-7 minutes, it will make a quick burst of an eruption reaching about 4-5 feet high and often much wider.

Another spur trail will continue farther into the Upper Geyser Basin. This will bring you past more colorful springs and another spectacle of the Upper Geyser Basin, Grand Geyser. It can also reach up to 200 feet, but like Beehive Geyser, can have a larger window for its eruption, typically adding up to about two hours on either side of the predicted time. The path will continue past Chromatic and Beauty Pools before crossing back over the Firehole River, and past Giant Geyser before joining the larger, main path extending from Old Faithful. A small detour beyond will take you by Riverside Geyser, and just beyond that is the famous Morning Glory Pool.

Morning Glory Pool was named after the bright blue-violet flower, but unfortunately, the hot spring has none of those colors anymore. Early visitors threw a large amount of rocks, coins, and pretty much anything else they could find into the pool. Over time, this has lowered the heat in the pool, allowing the thermophiles along the edges to gradually creep more toward the center. The above photo is from 2015. Compare that with this photo from 1966 on Wikipedia. It’s a tragically unfortunate change that will have lasting effects in the park for years to come. This is exactly why it’s now illegal to throw anything at all into any spring or thermal feature.

Many people turn around at Morning Glory Pool and begin to head back to Old Faithful. If you have more time on your hands, it’s a nice walk to continue on to Biscuit Basin past Artemisia Spring, among several others.

Elevation change for Biscuit Basin and Mystic Falls
Elevation profile and route below courtesy of the HAZ Tracks App

Biscuit Basin

After following the trail through a lodgepole pine forest and past some large hot springs and geysers, the main road becomes visible beyond Artemisia Spring. The spring has actually grown in recent years so much so that the trail was just recently rerouted to avoid some of the runoff. The trail still leads straight to the road, where right on the other side is the parking area for Biscuit Basin.

Biscuit Basin gets its name not from the bison pies that are frequently seen there, but from biscuit-like geyserite formations that used to line Sapphire Pool. A large earthquake in 1959 caused the pool to erupt, destroying the unique formations. As with any of the geyser basins, it’s certainly worth the visit and even has an extra trail for those itching to see more of Yellowstone’s waterfalls.

A couple of the main spectacles are Sapphire Pool and Jewel Geyser, though there are several other geysers and hot springs that capture individuals’ attention. Jewel Geyser erupts fairly frequently, reaching heights of up to 30 feet. Most people will see it erupt at some point along the walk around the half-mile or so boardwalk.

At the back of the Biscuit Basin boardwalk is a trail that leads into some of Yellowstone’s backcountry. One of the trails leads to Mystic Falls, only a one mile hike out from the boardwalk, and a pretty easy hike at that too. The trail leaves the boardwalk where a sign informs people about the trail. If you weren’t carrying bear spray, turn around. Bear spray is always recommended for any hike in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Beyond the sign, the trail begins winding through the young lodgepole pine forest, burned from the 1988 Fires. A short distance into the trail will bring you to a fork, branching off to Summit Lake much deeper in the Yellowstone backcountry and beyond. To reach Mystic Falls, continue straight. Soon the trail joins the Little Firehole River, which ultimately brings you to Mystic Falls, a spectacular waterfall pouring 70 feet over a large cliff that is decorated with thermal features surrounding the falls. This creates a rather “mystic” look as the mist from the falls interacts with the steam from the thermal features.

Spend as much time as you’d like, then either head back the same way you came, or take the overlook loop which will add an extra mile and a great overlook to your return trip.

Returning Through the Upper Geyser Basin

Before reaching the boardwalk back at the Biscuit Basin, another trail past the Summit Lake Trail will spur off to the right. This is a separate loop trail that will bring you back to the Upper Geyser Basin via Daisy Geyser and a couple of other thermal features. The other option is to head back the same way you came. Both will bring you past Grotto Geyser and Castle Geyser, two of the more uniquely shaped geysers in the Upper Geyser Basin.

Getting there: From the Old Faithful Visitor Center, start walking.

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Elevation change for the Lone Star Geyser Trail
Elevation profile and route courtesy of the HAZ Tracks App

Distance: 2.5 miles (one way)
Difficulty: Easy
Best time of year: Spring, Summer, Fall

Lone Star Geyser is a popular hike for many different reasons. It’s a unique geyser located slightly off the beaten path, it has a massive cone at its base, it’s one of the most punctual large geysers in the park, it’s accessible for bicycles, and it’s a very easy hike, making it accessible for nearly anyone.

Over the course of 2.5 miles, the trail very gradually ascends a mere 50-60 feet in elevation as it meanders along the Firehole River. The trail crosses the river early in the hike and subsequently pops in and out of meadows along the way, breaking up the forest cover from time to time.

At 2.5 miles, a small natural barricade prevents bikes from proceeding any further, and just beyond is Lone Star Geyser. The geyser erupts every three hours, nearly on the dot. Information on its predicted eruption times can be obtained from the Old Faithful Visitor Center, or others along the trail if you want to chance it, or have the time to spare. Eruptions can shoot as high as 40 feet and the cone itself is over 10 feet high! Keep in mind that on average, cones are built up from the “siliceous sinter” in the water 1/2 to 1 full inch each century. That makes it an extremely old cone geyser!

After the eruption, stick around for a while. Once the main water eruption occurs, the geyser enters into its steam phase eruption, rapidly ejecting huge amounts of steam into the air. It’s quite the sight to see…and hear.

Getting there: From the Old Faithful Visitor Center, merge onto the main highway heading southbound. Follow the main highway south for 2.75 miles and you’ll see the Kepler Cascades turnout on the right. On the far southern end of the turnout, there will be an additional parking area loop where the trail begins.

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