Distance: 1.1 miles / 1.8 km

The Upper Geyser Hill Trail, also called the Geyser Hill Loop Trail, in Yellowstone National Park is a beautiful, short, and easy day hike along a series of boardwalks at the beginning of the Upper Geyser Basin that loops around an extremely dense concentration of geysers—reportedly 50 in all—making it the fourth-largest geyser field on Earth!

That said, the Upper Geyser Hill Trail is simply the gateway to the much longer hike through the full Upper Geyser Basin that continues past Lion Geyser. However, if you’re most interested in maximizing your time in Yellowstone, I believe the Upper Geyser Hill Trail is the best option for visitors who want to see some of the best the Upper Geyser Basin has to offer without committing to the long day hike that continues beyond the loop to the Morning Glory Pool at the far northern end.

I say it this way because the Artemisia Trail, near Biscuit Basin, is the most direct route visitors can hike to reach the beautiful Morning Glory Pool, which, when hiked separately, allows for more time to see other must-see adventures in the area, like the Lone Star Geyser just to the south, most notably because you are spending a lot less time in the direct sun on the boardwalks!

Old Faithful Sunrise Yellowstone National Park Wyoming — Upper Geyser Hill Trail (Sunrise)

Upper Geyser Hill Trailhead Parking

Parking for the Upper Geyser Hill 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: Upper Geyser Hill 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 Upper Geyser Hill Trail

Upper Geyser Basin Trailhead

Depending on exactly where you park in the Old Faithful area, the Upper Geyser Hill 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.

Upper Geyser Hill Trail Yellowstone National Park Wyoming — Go Right

When the Upper Geyser Hill Trail leaves the boardwalk on the east side of Old Faithful, it will not return to a boardwalk until the start of the Upper Geyser Hill Loop, just beyond the Observation Point junction.

Upper Geyser Hill-Old Faithful Loop Junction

Shortly before the Upper Geyser Hill 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 boardwalk loop, roughly 0.2 miles (0.3 km) away from this point.

Firehole River

This is the only time the Upper Geyser Hill Trail crosses the Firehole River until it returns to this same bridge on the way back.

South Upper Geyser Hill-Observation Point Junction

Shortly after crossing the Firehole River, the Upper Geyser Hill Trail passes the beginning of the Observation Point Trail.

At this split, go straight to continue hiking up to the start of the Upper Geyser Hill Loop, located just a few steps ahead.

Read My Separate Post: Observation Point Trail

Upper Geyser Hill Loop Trail

This is the beginning of the 0.5-mile (0.8 km) Upper Geyser Hill Loop, with both sides coming together again where the Upper Geyser Basin Trail branches away and continues farther north.

That said, each half of the loop is almost exactly 0.25 miles (0.4 km). If you only have plans to hike the loop and not continue farther into the basin, I don’t believe it makes much of a difference which direction you decide to go in terms of enjoying the trail.

For no particular reason, I decided to go left in the clockwise direction around the Upper Geyser Hill Loop Trail.

Upper Geyser Hill Loop Trail Yellowstone National Park Wyoming — Upper Geyser Hill Trail

Anemone Geysers

The Anemone Geyser is actually plural, meaning geysers, as there are two geysers within 10 ft. (3 m) of one another, known as Big Anemone and Little Anemone.

Beehive Geyser

The Beehive Geyser, along with the Lion Geyser just ahead, is one of the most well-known geysers on the Upper Geyser Hill Loop because of its unique siliceous-sinter cone, which resembles a 'beehive' and acts like a nozzle that produces eruptions that reach heights of up to 200 ft. (61 m).

According to the National Park Service, eruptions are somewhat irregular, but Beehive has what’s known as an indicator—essentially acting like an early-warning sign for when the next eruption is likely to occur.

Beehive’s Indicator, quite literally named just that, is a small geyser located just a few feet from the main cone, and it typically begins erupting about 10–20 minutes before the main Beehive eruption.

Lion Geyser

The Lion Geyser, better known as the Lion Geyser Complex, is actually just one of four geysers, along with three hot springs, with Lion being the most prominent.

Unlike Beehive, the Lion Geyser is fairly predictable and has the tallest eruptions in the group, reaching heights of up to 60 ft. (18.3 m), with eruptions ranging anywhere from 60–90 minutes apart!

Therefore, I like to say, don’t try too hard to time it, and if you happen to see it erupting from any point along the 0.5-mile (0.8 km) loop, there’s a good chance you’ll have enough time to hurry over and get a better view!

Lion Geyser Yellowstone National Park Wyoming — My Print - Lion Geyser

Upper Geyser Hill-Upper Geyser Basin Junction

This is where the Upper Geyser Hill Trail reaches the junction where the Upper Geyser Basin Trail leaves the loop and continues north toward the Morning Glory Pool, exactly halfway, or 0.25 miles (0.4 km), from the start of the loop shown above.

If you’re only interested in the Upper Geyser Hill Loop, go straight at this split to begin the northern half of the loop that leads back to the trailhead near Old Faithful. However, if you are interested in learning more about the full Upper Geyser Basin Trail to the Morning Glory Pool, all the details can be found in my separate article linked below.

Read My Separate Post: Upper Geyser Basin Trail (Coming Soon)

North Upper Geyser Hill-Observation Point Junction

The next time the Upper Geyser Hill Trail splits is when it passes the northern junction for the Observation Point Loop, just down the hill from Solitary Geyser.

This is typically the side of the trail that hikers return on after watching Old Faithful erupt from Observation Point.

In any case, go straight once again to continue around the loop back to Old Faithful, but if you are interested in learning more about the full Observation Point Trail, all the details can once again be found in my separate post linked below.

Read My Separate Post: Observation Point Trail

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.

Aurum Geyser Yellowstone National Park Wyoming — Aurum Geyser

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!