Hiking the Lone Star Geyser Trail in Yellowstone National Park
Distance (One Way to Lone Star Geyser): 2.5 miles / 4.0 km
Distance (One Way - Full Lone Star Geyser Trail): 2.75 miles / 4.4 km
The Lone Star Geyser Trail in Yellowstone National Park is a flat and easy day hike, or bike ride, that leads to a remote thermal area just to the south of Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin, where hikers can enjoy one of Yellowstone’s most beautiful and also least-visited geysers!
That said, timing an eruption at the Lone Star Geyser can be a tricky thing, and there is quite a bit to know regarding both how the eruption—or, actually, eruptions—occurs, as well as how to time them.
This is why I highly recommend reading this post to the end, as there is a lot of great inside information to consider throughout the entire article!
How Often Does the Lone Star Geyser Erupt?
The National Park Service says the Lone Star Geyser typically erupts every three hours, with 1–2 hours of variability.
This variability is because the Lone Star Geyser goes through both a major and a minor eruption, which I discuss in more about below.
Lone Star Geyser Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Lone Star Geyser Trail is located in one of two areas.
First, there is a small parking lot right at the Lone Star Geyser Trailhead, but if that is full, visitors also have the option to park at the neighboring Kepler Cascades, just outside the turn off Grand Loop Road for the Lone Star Geyser.
Google Maps Directions: Lone Star Geyser Trailhead / Kepler Cascades
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 main thing that should stand out about the Lone Star Geyser Trail is just how flat it truly is, as there is only 60 ft. (18.3 m) of elevation change between the trailhead and the geyser, which is essentially negligible over the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) hike to get there.
This is also why the Lone Star Geyser Trail is one of the best biking trails in Yellowstone National Park and why renting bikes can be a great option to consider—especially because of how safe the park and Wyoming truly are!
I mention this because, when you’re done using them, no one—or at least it would be incredibly rare—is going to touch them if you decide to leave them in the car and head out on another adventure!
This is something I would never say about countless other National Parks across the country, but in Wyoming, you really are surrounded by some pretty great people!
After just 0.1 miles (0.2 km), the Lone Star Geyser Trail passes this fork in the road, which is nothing more than a short path that leads to a diversion dam in the Firehole River that is used to supply the Old Faithful Area with clean water.
That said, go left at this split to continue south on the Lone Star Trail toward the geyser.
If you have no idea when the next eruption is going to occur when hiking out, one of the best thing to do is to talk to a group heading back to the trailhead.
This is common when one group has been waiting for hours and begins the hike back after catching the minor eruption, which occurs before the major!
However, if you happen to see many groups coming back, it can be a little disheartening because it likely means you missed the major eruption and will be waiting a while.
Either way, I recommend talking to other hikers, as it’s really the only way to know what to expect if you didn’t check with the staff in the Old Faithful Visitor Center prior.
Firehole River
This is the only time the Lone Star Trail crosses the Firehole River on the way to the geyser, which I personally think makes for a nice mental checkpoint that you’re getting close to the trailhead on the way back.
Lone Star Geyser-Halfway Group Junction
After about 0.75 miles (1.2 km), the Lone Star Geyser Trail passes an inconspicuous junction on the right-hand side, known officially as the Halfway Group.
This is what’s often labeled as "Two Small Geysers" on many maps, though that is an inaccurate name according to the earliest Yellowstone geyser inventories.
In any case, go straight to continue hiking toward Lone Star Geyser, but if you are interested in seeing where this short side trail leads, click the link below to skip to the end.
To skip ahead to the Halfway Group Trail, click here.
While it can be tempting to trail run such a long, flat trail in Yellowstone, the National Park Service does not recommend trail running in Grizzly country! This is a good general rule of thumb for trails anywhere Grizzlies are present.
That said, I personally agree with the guidance from the NPS, and in fact, during a Yellowstone trip I was on in 2023, a trail runner was mauled to death near West Yellowstone, just beyond the park boundary.
Official reports concluded that the encounter was a surprise defensive attack, rather than a predatory one. I hope this shows why trail running only increases the risk of startling a bear and why the NPS recommends against it!
Lone Star Geyser-Spring Creek Junction
At about 1.5 miles (2.4 km), the Lone Star Geyser Trail passes the beginning of the Spring Creek Trail from the west—a roughly 4.2-mile (6.8 km) connector trail that runs along Spring Creek and the south side of Grand Loop Road until it eventually links up with the Divide Mountain Trail.
Once here, go straight (right) at this junction to continue hiking to the Lone Star Geyser, about 1.0 mile (1.6 km) from this final junction.
One of the most important things about the Lone Star Geyser Trail that certainly doesn’t stand out from the photos shown here is that the mosquitoes can be pretty bad because of the marshy environment surrounding the Firehole River.
Now, I think it’s important to stress the words "can be" because they are not noticeable if you decide to bike, and they are more noticeable if it has rained recently.
If you are hiking slower, such as with young kids, wearing a light jacket can be helpful. However, I personally like carrying this cheap bug net whenever I hike in Wyoming, because you never know where you may need it. They don’t call the mosquito the state bird for nothing!
This is where the Lone Star Geyser Trail turns sharply to the south after the Spring Creek junction, which is a nice sign that the end of the biking trail—and the geyser itself—are not far away!
End of the Bike Trail
After roughly 2.4 miles (3.9 km), the trees abruptly come to an end just as the trail starts to approach the Lone Star Geyser.
This is also the farthest visitors are legally allowed to bike on the Lone Star Geyser Trail.
Lone Star Geyser
The prominent geyserite cone just off the trail is the Lone Star Geyser, and this area, right at the foot of the geyser, is where hikers can typically be seen hanging out in the shade, waiting for the next eruption.
That said, it can be quite the wait in order to see the Lone Star Geyser erupt, which is why there is a lot to consider before beginning the hike, with the first being the time of day.
By this, I mean that if you are the first car in the parking lot in the morning, you’re basically playing the guessing game. You might walk up and see the Lone Star Geyser erupt within 5 minutes, or you might be waiting up to 3 hours if you just missed it!
However, as a beautiful summer day like this moves on, reports of the most recent eruption can sometimes make their way back to the Old Faithful Visitor Center.
This is why, depending on the time of day, it can either be more advantageous to simply start the hike or, if it’s after 10 a.m., it may be worth stopping in at the visitor center to see if they have any recent reports. There’s no guarantee, but if you’re already in the Old Faithful area, it’s something to consider.
On my first experience at the Lone Star Geyser, I had to wait about 2 hours for the major eruption, with one minor eruption occurring about 25 minutes before!
In the event that no one else is waiting at the geyser or you didn’t pass anyone making their way back to the trailhead, there should be a log book, which can give you an idea regarding when the last eruption occurred.
However, the book is obviously not very helpful if you’re the first one to arrive in the morning, which is why I recommend hiking the trail with the intention of staying a while.
If you don’t plan to stay for the eruption, the Lone Star Geyser Trail is honestly not worth the effort. Therefore, bring food, games, or whatever you can think of to keep busy. I personally like the game Farkel, linked below, which is one of my favorite lightweight games whenever I’m in the backcountry.
The Lone Star Geyser Trail does not stop at the Lone Star Geyser. Rather, it continues for another 0.25 miles (0.4 km) to the Howard Eaton Trail and the Shoshone Lake Trail. This is the route that is often used to create a long loop.
In any case, walking the rest of the trail, as shown here, can be a great way to keep busy if you happen to get unlucky and arrive just after an eruption.
However, if you arrive and don’t know when the next eruption is going to occur, I recommend waiting. You don’t want to miss it or hear it from far away and start running toward the geyser, as running in Grizzly country is never recommended, and the National Park Service is very blunt about this!
Lone Star Geyser-Howard Eaton-Shoshone Lake Junction
This is the end of the Lone Star Geyser Trail and the junction with the Continental Divide Trail (CDT), located about 0.25 miles (0.4 km) past the geyser itself.
To the right, the CDT follows the Howard Eaton Trail toward Old Faithful, and to the left is the Shoshone Lake Trail, which heads deep into the Yellowstone backcountry toward Shoshone Lake.
This is typically the end of the hike for most people, but it is not uncommon to go right and create a long loop with the Howard Eaton Trail.
What is the Howard Eaton Trail?
The Howard Eaton Trail is a historic trail that first opened in 1923 and once stretched roughly 157 miles (253 km) across much of Yellowstone.
However, over the decades, the trail was rerouted, altered, and gradually abandoned as park priorities and budgets changed. Today, only scattered segments of the original route remain.
These surviving sections include Old Faithful to the Lone Star Geyser (2.9 miles / 4.7 km), Bunsen Peak to Mammoth Springs, also called the Golden Gate, (4.1 miles / 6.6 km), Fishing Bridge to Canyon (13.6 miles / 21.9 km), and Cascade Lake to Ice Lake, often called Canyon Village, (11.1 miles / 17.9 km), totaling about 31.7 miles (51 km) in all.
Lone Star Geyser-Halfway Group Junction
If you decide to explore the Halfway Group off the Lone Star Geyser Trail, go right at this split, and the two unnamed geysers will be found just a few steps into the trees.
Halfway Group (Two Small Geysers)
This is the Halfway Group, located just 0.1 miles (0.2 km) off the Lone Star Geyser Trail.
According to the Geyser Observation and Study Association (GOSA), the Halfway Group consists of two small, unnamed geysers, although eruption activity appears to be minor and is poorly documented.
To skip back to the Halfway Group junction initially shown, click here.
Old Faithful (Upper–Lower Geyser Basins)
Canyon Village
Maddison–Norris
Yellowstone Lake & East Entrance
Mammoth, Lamar Valley & Tower
