Hiking the Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail in Yellowstone National Park
Distance: 1.7 miles / 2.7 km
The Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail in Yellowstone National Park is a beautiful, easy, and relatively new day hike off the popular Fairy Falls Trail that climbs to a panoramic, east-facing viewpoint above the Midway Geyser Basin, which is most famously known for the Grand Prismatic Spring!
That said, the Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook is truly the only way for visitors to try and see the beautiful colors in the spring without booking a helicopter tour, as the best of this iconic wonder cannot be seen from the popular boardwalk closest to it!
In any case, the Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail is a very fun and short family-friendly adventure that I recommend visiting for sunrise, which I talk about in more detail later in this article.
How Long is the Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail?
Since many hikers only explore parts of the full Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail, I’ve broken down each section to help you plan your adventure.
Grand Prismatic Overlook Distances:
Fairy Falls Trailhead to the South GP Overlook Junction: 0.6 miles (1.0 km)
South GP Overlook Junction to the GP Overlook: 0.2 miles (0.3 km)
GP Overlook to the North GP Overlook Junction: 0.1 miles (0.2 km)
North GP Overlook Junction to South GP Overlook Junction: 0.2 miles (0.3 km)
Total Distance: 1.7 miles (2.7 km)
Grand Prismatic Overlook Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail is located at the same trailhead as the popular Fairy Falls Trail, directly off of Grand Loop Road.
Before visiting, know that the Fairy Falls Trailhead is one of the most competitive trailheads to find parking at in Yellowstone National Park, which, again, is another reason I recommend hiking to the overlook at sunrise over any other time of the day.
Google Maps Directions: Grand Prismatic Overlook Trailhead (Fairy Falls)
Hiking Checklist - Yellowstone–Tetons
Here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in the Yellowstone–Teton area.
Hiking the Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail
The Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook Trail begins on the Fairy Falls Trail, which it follows for about 0.6 miles (1.0 km) until it branches away and starts climbing up to the overlook above the Midway Geyser Basin.
Firehole River
Almost immediately after beginning the hike, the Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail crosses the Firehole River—the same river that runs through the Upper Geyser Basin, past all the best geysers and thermal features in Yellowstone, like Old Faithful.
If you plan to hike the Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail at any time other than sunrise or late in the evening, I highly recommend wearing a hooded sun shirt, as there isn’t much shade along the Fairy Falls Trail from the trailhead to the first junction leading up to the overlook.
South Grand Prismatic Overlook-Fairy Falls Junction
After just 0.6 miles (1.0 km), the Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail finally splits from the Fairy Falls Trail, which continues north toward both the waterfall and the Imperial Geyser beyond.
Once here, go left to leave the Fairy Falls Trail and begin the steeper portions of the hike up to the Grand Prismatic Overlook.
Read My Separate Post: Fairy Falls Trail
After leaving the Fairy Falls Trail, the Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail begins a roughly 100-ft. (30.5 m), 0.2-mile (0.3 km) climb to the beautiful viewpoint at the top of the hill.
Some hikers may want to bring trekking poles for the very short but steep hike up to the Grand Prismatic Overlook, which can certainly be useful on countless other Yellowstone adventures, like the popular Brink of the Lower Falls Trail and the Observation Point Trail, to name a few.
When the steep uphill finally levels out, it’s a nice sign that the overlook is not far ahead!
This is where the path to the Grand Prismatic Overlook branches away from the main trail.
That said, go right at this junction to reach the overlook, just a few steps ahead!
Grand Prismatic Overlook
This is the Grand Prismatic Overlook, located roughly 0.8 miles (1.3 km) from the Fairy Falls Trailhead.
Now, what this early morning photo doesn’t show is that the Grand Prismatic Overlook is one of the most popular tourist destinations throughout much of the day during the best and most beautiful summer months to be in Yellowstone National Park!
In fact, it’s often challenging to see the view because the overlook is typically packed shoulder to shoulder from about mid-morning until the mid-to-late afternoon hours on any given summer day when the weather is nice.
This is why I highly recommend reading the next section below, as the best times to visit and experience the overlook with fewer crowds is coincidentally the best times to take photos!
What is the Best Time to Take Photos at the Grand Prismatic Overlook?
The easy answer to this question is sunrise, but the real answer is a little more nuanced.
By this, I mean that there are two times of the day that I believe are the best for taking photos from the Grand Prismatic Overlook, which largely has to do with the viewpoint facing to the east.
That said, sunrise is, without a doubt, the best and most beautiful time to take pictures at the Grand Prismatic Overlook, but the important thing about that statement is that I mean sunrise—not 15 minutes after, not 10 minutes after. You need to be there at sunrise!
This is important because immediately after the sun rises up and over the horizon, photos are typically blown out for much of the morning because it is an east-facing viewpoint.
As a result, the second-best option is the mid-afternoon to early evening hours, specifically around 3:30–5:30 p.m. in the summer.
By this time, most of the morning and midday crowds have subsided from their peak, and the sun is now behind the overlook, bringing out the best of the colors facing the Grand Prismatic Spring!
Once back at the junction just below the overlook, hikers either have the option to go right to complete the full Grand Prismatic Loop, as outlined in this article, or go left to return to the Fairy Falls Trailhead via the same route taken to get to this point, which is also the shorter of the two options.
However, choosing to complete the full loop only adds about 0.1 miles (0.2 km) to the total distance, which is why I personally recommend going right.
Regarding my thoughts above, I chose to go right to complete the full loop before returning to the Fairy Falls Trailhead.
North Grand Prismatic Overlook-Fairy Falls Junction
This is where the Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail returns to the Fairy Falls Trail once again, just 0.1 miles (0.2 km) from the junction just below the overlook.
Once here, many hikers opt to go left to continue hiking to Fairy Falls, which you can learn more about using the link below. However, to complete the loop and return to the Fairy Falls Trailhead, go right at this split.
Read My Separate Post: Fairy Falls Trail
This is where the Fairy Falls Trail passes directly beneath the Grand Prismatic Overlook.
South Grand Prismatic Overlook-Fairy Falls Junction
After 0.5 miles (0.8 km) from the beginning of the loop, or 1.1 miles (1.8 km) from the Fairy Falls Trailhead, the Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail returns to the original junction where the steep part of the hike first began.
From this point, go straight to return to the Fairy Falls Trailhead, about 0.6 miles (1.0 km) away.
Read My Separate Post: Fairy Falls Trail
Old Faithful (Upper–Lower Geyser Basins)
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Maddison–Norris
Yellowstone Lake & East Entrance
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