Sight · Yellowstone National Park
4.8-mile river walk to a geyser whose eruptions average three hours apart.
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The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Yellowstone Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Yellowstone National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Yellowstone audio tourRecorded for this place
Lone Star Geyser Trailhead“You're nearing the Lone Star Geyser trailhead, where a mostly level riverside walk leads to a pale cone in a forest clearing. It's about five miles round trip, taking two to three hours before any wait for an eruption.”
Plays as you drive up to Lone Star Geyser in the Parkwolf Yellowstone Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“First time driving through a national park. We used the Yellowstone tour on grand loop Road and it’s just like having a tour guide in your car with you.”
Guide
Lone Star Geyser is a 12-foot silica cone in the trees southeast of Old Faithful. The 4.8-mile round trip follows the Firehole River on a former service road, so the walk is part of the visit. I'd make time for it if you're up for a longer outing and an eruption that may not line up with your schedule; if you only have time for a quick geyser stop, stay closer to Old Faithful.
The trailhead is 3.5 miles southeast of the Old Faithful overpass, just beyond Kepler Cascades pullout. The mostly level route follows the river; allow about 2–3 hours round trip before adding any geyser wait. The bike section ends at a barrier about 300 feet from the cone, which remains visible from there. Bicycles can't continue to the geyser. The surface is paved only in intermittent patches; confirm its current condition with park staff if you need dependable wheelchair access.
Hot water carries dissolved silica to the surface, where it builds the pale sinter cone a little at a time. The roughly three-hour interval has been observed since at least the 1880s, giving this geyser a remarkably long record of steady activity.
When it erupts, frame the white plume with the pale cone in the same shot; the open mineral ground and forest edge show its height and setting. You can see the geyser from the bike barrier about 300 feet away, too.
Wildlife
713 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
743 sightingsWolfMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
5,273 sightingsBisonMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
3,258 sightingsElkMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
397 sightingsMooseMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
1,494 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Yellowstone. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyLone Star Geyser Trail4.8 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.8 mi awayEasy Firehole River walk to a geyser with roughly three-hour eruptions.
ChallengingShoshone Geyser Basin Trail17 mi · 8.5 hr · 1.8 mi awayMore than 80 geysers, with no boardwalks and a long hike in.
EasyFern Cascade Loop Trail2.5 mi · 1.5 hr · 2.7 mi awayA short woods loop slips down to a hidden cascade.ModerateHoward Eaton Trail: Old Faithful to Lone Star Geyser6.3 mi · 3 hr · 2.7 mi awayBurned hill, spruce-fir forest, and a geyser at the end.
ModerateMallard Lake Trail7 mi · 4.5 hr · 2.9 mi awayPipeline Hot Springs and a Firehole crossing lead to Mallard Lake.
EasyGeyser Hill Loop Trail1.2 mi · 1 hr · 3 mi awayCompact boardwalk loop past geysers, vivid springs, and steaming runoff.
EasyOld Faithful to Morning Glory Pool Trail2.7 mi · 2 hr · 3.1 mi awayA level geyser walk ends at a spring changed by its visitors.
ModerateObservation Point–Solitary Geyser Loop1.9 mi · 2 hr · 3.2 mi awayA short climb trades switchbacks for Old Faithful from above.
Sight · 1.9 mi awayKepler CascadesThree tiers of Firehole water tumbling into a wooded ravine.
Picnic area · 2.8 mi awaySpring Creek Picnic AreaCraig Pass picnic break with nine tables and two fire grates
Gas station · 2.8 mi awayOld Faithful Gas and Service Station - UpperA useful in-park stop for fuel, propane, snacks, or repairs.
Store · 2.9 mi awayOld Faithful General Store - UpperA 1929 general store with a huge fireplace and practical supplies.
Lodging · 2.9 mi awayOld Faithful Snow Lodge and CabinsSleep near the basin; the geysers are a short walk away.
Sight · 3 mi awayYellowstone Tribal Heritage CenterMeet Indigenous presenters in a historic Haynes photo shop.
Lodging · 3 mi awayOld Faithful Lodge CabinsA rustic cabin stay within easy reach of Old Faithful.
Visitor center · 3 mi awayOld Faithful Visitor Education CenterWatch Old Faithful indoors, then get the science behind the eruptions.Parkwolf’s Yellowstone ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
