Hiking the Lone Star Geyser Trail in Yellowstone National Park
Distance: 5.0 miles / 8.0 km
The Lone Star Geyser is one of the best biking trails in Yellowstone National Park, and I say this for a number of reasons.
First, the entire hike to the Lone Star Geyser is flat, making a bike ride a really fun and casual adventure. Second, the mosquitoes along the Long Star Geyser Trail are definitely present, and I got my fair share of bites just by hiking the trail.
Finally and perhaps most importantly, timing the Long Star Geyser eruption is a tricky thing, so if you have a good idea when it’s going to erupt, getting there faster on a bike may be the best way to ensure that you don’t miss the eruption.
How Often Does the Lone Star Geyser Erupt?
The National Park Service says every three hours, with 1-2 hours of variability.
This variability is because the Lone Star Geyser goes through both major and minor eruptions, which I’ll talk more about below.
Lone Star Geyser Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Lone Star Geyser Trail is located in either one of two parking areas.
You can either park directly at the Lone Star Geyser Trailhead linked below, or you can park at the neighboring Kepler Cascades and take the short trail in between the two parking areas. Parking at the Kepler Cascades is a great way to see both the geyser and the waterfall without having to move your car.
Google Maps Directions: Lone Star Geyser Trailhead
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 Lone Star Geyser Trail
The National Park Service rarely knows when the Lone Star Geyser is going to erupt unless someone that just saw an eruption walks into the visitor at Old Faithful and reports it.
This is often not the case, meaning that you may have to hike the trail and hope that you aren’t waiting too long to see the eruption.
At the first split shortly after the trailhead, go left to continue toward the Lone Star Geyser.
Firehole River
This is the only time the trail crosses the Firehole River, and personally, I think this bridge is a nice mental checkpoint that you’re getting close when you’re on the return hike.
Once across the bridge, the trail parallels the Firehole River for most of the remaining trail to the geyser.
This is also where the mosquitoes were at their worst. Even midday the mosquitoes were still biting me through my shirt, but overall, I would say that the inconvenience was minimal in order to enjoy the Lone Star Geyser. However, they were definitely noticeable.
This is why I recommend hiking with the cheap bug net linked below, especially if you’re going to be doing the hike early or late in the day.
Spring Creek Junction
At about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) into the hike, the Lone Star Geyser Trail comes to the only junction with the Spring Creek Trail that eventually links up with the Divide Mountain Trail.
Personally, I recommend treating Divide Mountain as a separate hike and beginning from the official Divide Mountain Trailhead, rather than continuing up Spring Creek.
Past the Spring Creek Junction, the rest of the trail is very straightforward and easy to follow.
Just before the Lone Star Geyser there is a bike rack, as bikes are not allowed any closer to the geyser.
Lone Star Geyser
Generally speaking, if you had been passing other hikers on your way to the Lone Star Geyser, then that’s a pretty good sign that you missed the eruption.
However, if you passed no one on your hike to the geyser, that may be a good sign that you timed it just right.
In either case, I recommend packing food and perhaps even cards to keep busy because you may have to wait up to three hours in order to see the Lone Star Geyser erupt. That being said, I’d say it’s worth the wait since it’s the main reason that everyone hikes out this way!
In case no one else is at the geyser, there should be a log book, which may give you an idea about the previous eruptions.
This is obviously not as helpful if you’re the first one to arrive on any given day.
In my experience, I had to wait about two hours for the major eruption, with one minor eruption occurring about 25 minutes before the major.
However, it was definitely worth the wait, as the major eruption continued some ten minutes total, which was more than anyone was expecting!
