Hiking the Observation Point Trail in Yellowstone National Park
Distance (+Solitary Geyser–Upper Geyser Hill Loop): 1.9 miles / 3.1 km
The Observation Point Trail in Yellowstone National Park is a fun and beautiful day hike in the Upper Geyser Basin that climbs its way to a panoramic viewpoint high above Old Faithful and all the historic park buildings that surround this iconic landmark!
That said, Observation Point is truly all about watching Old Faithful erupt from the viewpoint at the top, meaning that the Observation Point Trail is best enjoyed when hiked and timed intentionally.
By this, I mean that it is typically best to leave the Old Faithful area about 20–30 minutes prior to the next eruption in order to make it up the roughly 0.8-mile (1.3 km) trail on time—bearing in mind that missing the eruption by leaving too late would certainly be disheartening, to say the least!
However, if you time it well, Observation Point is the best way to enjoy Old Faithful without the crowds—especially considering all the people surrounding the geyser on a typically beautiful summer day, as shown below!
Observation Point Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Observation Point Trail is located at Old Faithful, also called the Upper Geyser Basin Trailhead.
This is the busiest area and trailhead of any in Yellowstone National Park.
However, Old Faithful and everything that surrounds it is one of the most well-constructed areas in Yellowstone National Park to handle all the traffic the area attracts, meaning that even though it’s incredibly busy, finding a place to park is typically not too much of an issue because there are so many different parking lots to look for a spot.
That said, visitors can find parking anywhere near the Hamilton Store, the Old Faithful Inn, the Old Faithful Visitor Center, and the Old Faithful Lodge.
Either way, getting to the trailhead on the east side of Old Faithful is typically fairly easy and straightforward.
Google Maps Directions: Observation Point Trailhead (Old Faithful)
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 Observation Point Trail
Upper Geyser Basin Trailhead
Depending on exactly where you park in the Old Faithful area, the Observation Point Trail could begin in any number of directions.
That said, this article begins from the official Upper Geyser Basin Trailhead near the Old Faithful Lodge, which is the jumping-off point for a number of different day hikes that all branch out from the popular observation deck that surrounds Old Faithful.
Old Faithful
Regardless of which path you take to reach the observation deck that wraps around the south side of Old Faithful, go right and walk to the far eastern end, where the boardwalk ends and the trail begins.
When the Observation Point Trail leaves the boardwalk on the east side of Old Faithful, it will not return to a boardwalk until the trail loops back around to the Upper Geyser Hill Trail, following the Solitary Geyser.
Upper Geyser Hill-Old Faithful Loop Junction
Shortly before the Observation Point Trail crosses the Firehole River, the path reaches this split for the very short loop around Old Faithful on the left (straight), and the trail on the right that leads into the heart of the Upper Geyser Basin.
Once here, go right to begin hiking the true Upper Geyser Hill Trail toward the start of the official Observation Point Trail, just over 0.1 miles (0.2 km) away from this point.
Read My Separate Post: Upper Geyser Hill Trail
Firehole River
This is the only time the Observation Point Trail crosses the Firehole River until it returns to this same bridge on the way back.
South Observation Point-Upper Geyser Hill Junction
Shortly after crossing the Firehole River, the Observation Point Trail officially branches away from the popular boardwalk trails that begin through the Upper Geyser Basin just ahead.
That said, go right at this split to begin hiking up the official Observation Point Trail to the viewpoint above Old Faithful at the top, roughly 0.5 miles (0.8 km) and 200 ft. (61 m) up the trail from this point.
Read My Separate Post: Upper Geyser Hill Trail
Once on the official Observation Point Trail, the hike typically becomes much quieter, as the vast majority of park visitors go straight at the junction below to continue hiking through the Upper Geyser Basin.
I’ve hiked the Observation Point Trail more times than I can count, and on one visit, the National Park Service was made it abundantly clear, with signs, that there was a Grizzly with two cubs roaming the area.
Obviously, this will not always be the case, but I think it’s important to note that the number of people in the Old Faithful area doesn’t necessarily keep bears away, which is why bear spray is always a necessity when hiking in the Yellowstone–Teton area.
This is where the Observation Point Trail begins the steepest parts of the hike on the climb up to the viewpoint at the top.
As a result, some hikers may want to bring trekking poles for these sections, which can certainly be useful on a number of must-see day hikes across Yellowstone, including the Mystic Falls Trail, the Mt. Washburn Trail via Dunraven Pass, and the Brink of the Lower Falls Trail, to name only a few.
Observation Point-Solitary Geyser Junction
After about 0.6 miles (1.0 km), the Observation Point Trail splits, with the route to the right leading up to the viewpoint above Old Faithful and the route to the left leading down to the Solitary Geyser and beyond to the Upper Geyser Hill Trail.
Once at this junction, go right to continue hiking up to Observation Point, just over 0.1 miles (0.2 km) away.
Observation Point Loop Trail
After just a few steps from the Solitary Geyser junction, the Observation Point Trail reaches the start of the short 0.2-mile (0.3 km) loop at the very top, with both directions leading to the viewpoint above Old Faithful.
However, it is most common to go straight at this split, as the trail on the left is not that obvious—or at least not as obvious on the way up as it is on the hike down.
Regarding my thoughts above, I chose to go straight in the counterclockwise direction around the short loop.
Observation Point
This is Observation Point, located just before the very top of the loop when hiking counterclockwise.
In my experience, there are typically a handful of groups at the top hanging out, waiting for the eruption, but it is nothing compared to the crowds that surround Old Faithful on the boardwalk below!
After Observation Point, the trail continues to climb for a very short distance before it begins a very short, steep descent back to the beginning of the loop.
Observation Point Loop Junction
This is where the Observation Point Trail completes the short 0.2-mile (0.3 km) loop at the top of the hill, the same junction that I mentioned previously as being easy to miss.
Once here, go right to return to the Solitary Geyser junction, at which point you can decide whether to return to the trailhead on the same trail taken up or continue on the Observation Point Trail around the longer loop that leads down to the Upper Geyser Hill Trail.
Observation Point-Solitary Geyser Junction
This is where the Observation Point Trail returns to the same Solitary Geyser junction below the upper loop.
At this point, there’s the option either to go left to return to the Upper Geyser Hill Trail and Old Faithful on the same trail taken up, or to go straight toward Solitary Geyser, about 0.3 miles (0.5 km) away, and the Upper Geyser Hill Trail, about 0.6 miles (1.0 km) away—which is ultimately 0.5 miles (0.8 km) longer in all.
Personally, I recommend going straight, as it is truly not a difficult or long option to complete the full trail.
Regarding my thoughts above, I chose to go straight toward the Solitary Geyser.
Since the majority of visitors hike the Observation Point Trail to get to the viewpoint and watch Old Faithful erupt, the hike gets even quieter on the descent toward the Solitary Geyser, which is another reason why I prefer to take the 'long' way instead of heading back down the same way.
Solitary Geyser
With about 0.3 miles (0.5 km) to go before the Observation Point Trail returns to the Upper Geyser Hill Trail, the loop passes the Solitary Geyser, named for its isolation away from the vast majority of the thermal features in the Upper Geyser Basin.
Furthermore, the National Park Service reports that the Solitary Geyser was not always a geyser, but rather one that was activated by human interference in the early 1900s.
All the details can be read on the plaque below, but if nothing else, hopefully this serves as a reminder as to why interfering with such a delicate landscape can have long-lasting impacts and why the National Park Service constantly reminds visitors throughout the various geyser basins to not throw trash in the thermal features.
This is where the Observation Point Trail makes a hard left turn, similar to a switchback, on the hike back down to the Upper Geyser Hill Trail.
When the Observation Point Trail levels out, the Upper Geyser Hill Loop is not far ahead!
North Observation Point-Upper Geyser Hill Junction
When the Observation Point Trail returns to the Upper Geyser Hill Trail, there’s the option to either go right or left to continue back to the beginning.
The route to the right is a roughly 0.3-mile (0.5 km) hike to the beginning of the Upper Geyser Hill Loop, and the route to the left is 0.2 miles (0.3 km) to the same junction, which is why it really should come down to personal preference as they are both very similar in terms of effort.
Read My Separate Post: Upper Geyser Hill Trail
Since the trail heading in the clockwise direction is slightly shorter, I chose to go left at the junction shown above.
Regardless of which direction you decide to hike around the Upper Geyser Hill Trail, this is where the full Observation Point Trail typically gets busier again, as the Upper Geyser Basin is one of the most popular places people visit in all of Yellowstone National Park!
Aurum Geyser
The Aurum Geyser is one of the more interesting geysers along the Upper Geyser Hill Trail in terms of how much its activity has changed over the decades, largely due to changes within its underground plumbing and surrounding hydrothermal system.
One notable event was the magnitude 6.9 earthquake near Borah Peak in central Idaho in 1983. This was the dramatic event that actually caused Mt. Borah to grow by 7–12 in. (20–30 cm) in a single event!
Now, all this may seem unrelated given that the earthquake occurred hundreds of miles from Yellowstone, but its seismic waves were strong enough to affect hydrothermal features within the park.
Consequently, the Aurum Geyser was known to boil actively but erupted only rarely before the earthquake. However, its eruptive behavior changed considerably after this dramatic event, though it continues to be reported as irregular in terms of its intervals.
What all this really means is that Aurum Geyser has gone through periods when it erupted relatively frequently and other periods when it was almost completely dormant. Its behavior can and likely will continue to change as groundwater levels and conditions within the hydrothermal system change, which is why I recommend checking the National Park Service’s current geyser activity page for the most up-to-date information and conditions.
Since there is so much sun exposure on most of the boardwalks throughout Yellowstone, I always recommend wearing a hooded sun shirt—especially considering that they often take a bit of time to fully enjoy, as it’s common to hike slowly, taking lots of photos throughout.
Giantess Geyser
Of all the thermal features on the east side of the Upper Geyser Hill Loop, the Giantess Geyser is arguably the most notable, or at least the most dramatic, by a wide margin!
I say this because its eruptions, while incredibly rare and unpredictable, are quite the show, as the Giantess Geyser is reported to reach heights of up to 200 ft. (61 m).
However, there’s really no telling when it will erupt, as the National Park Service says eruptions have occurred over very short intervals, while at other times, years have passed from one to the next!
Upper Geyser Hill Loop Junction
This is where both sides of the Upper Geyser Hill Loop come back together.
From here, go straight to continue hiking back to the Upper Geyser Basin Trailhead and Old Faithful, about 0.3 miles (0.5 km) away.
Read My Separate Post: Upper Geyser Hill Trail
South Observation Point-Upper Geyser Hill Junction
This is where the Upper Geyser Hill Trail returns to the original Observation Point junction from the beginning of this article.
That said, go straight once again to return to Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin Trailhead, about 0.25 miles (0.4 km) away from this point.
Old Faithful (Upper–Lower Geyser Basins)
Canyon Village
Maddison–Norris
Yellowstone Lake & East Entrance
Mammoth, Lamar Valley & Tower
