Gushing About Hiking in Yellowstone
Bug spray: check, sunscreen: check, Bear spray: check. It was while reading the directions on the back of the bear spray that I began to have second thoughts. Just how safe were we, bringing our five and eight year olds hiking through Yellowstone, let alone my late sixties in laws in tow, when each trail was emblazoned with reminders of the dangers of Bear Country? It didn’t help that we had already seen a grizzly on the side of the road and had also met a black bear who strolled down a hill to the street and leisurely crossed the road in front of the car. The bears were active in Yellowstone and we were taking the family on a backwoods hike to see some of the park’s great sites.
Our plan was to hike to an observation area overlooking the Grand Prismatic Spring, then continue on to Fairy Falls and, if time permitted, to the Imperial and Spray Geysers. We left for the hike from the Fairy Falls Trailhead which would bring us by the Grand Prismatic Spring first. We made sure to arrive at the trailhead early and were able to grab a parking spot in the lot. The trail is wide and the first half mile was fairly crowded despite the early hour. Hot springs litter the parking lot and can be seen along the trail. A winding river added to the picturesque views and we had a nice hike to toward the Spring even as the crowd began to build on the trail. As we neared the Grand Prismatic Spring the trail forked and we went left up a hill to a newly constructed overlook. The small ascent was worth the effort as the views of the Spring from up high were spectacular.
The Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in the United States. The water in the spring is 160 degrees and the steam radiating from it is the first thing you see as you reach the observation platform. From above, when you look beyond the steam and down into the water below, the colors of the spring are breathtaking. The bright blue water at the center of the spring transforms into greens and yellows and reds as it runs out from the spring at the center to the beige earth that spreads beyond it. The vibrancy of the colors is what makes the Prismatic Spring so incredible and certainly worth the short hike from the car to the overlook.
After spending some time at the observation area, we headed down the hill from the overlook and then resumed the mile walk to the junction with the Fairy Falls Trail. As we drew near the junction, small boulders peppered the ground and we left the wide road-like trail for a thinner trail on the left heading towards the falls.
It was nice to turn down the path here as fewer groups were destined for the falls. The damage from a forest fire in 1988 was clear as young tress hug the trail but the remnants of the great forest of the past poked through the young like bare toothpicks jutting out of the lush greenery. There’s little elevation on the trail and the 1.3 miles from the junction to the falls was an easy walk for our group. I began to feel at home and soon memories of our northeast hikes filled my mind. I could tell the kids were comfortable too, as they sprinted ahead on the trail. Abruptly, reality sunk in as my jog became a sprint, images of grizzlies filling my mind and reminding me that hiking as a group is a necessity on the Yellowstone’s trails, as is keeping close to the bear spray.
The trail narrowed and rocks began to jut from the ground, a strong sign that we were nearing the falls. Soon we could hear the gushing water and as the trees abated, a rocky cliff emerged almost 200 feet in the air to our left. A few small groups had gathered around the falls and we joined them to snack, rest, and enjoy the view. We were quickly greeted by two aggressively friendly chipmunks who had clearly reaped the benefits of people’s snacks, grazing the ground like the family dog licks the floor after a family meal. The chipmunks danced, jumped, and when ignored tried to stealthily sneak into unsuspecting hikers’ bags to steal away any nibble they could, a constant reminder of the effects people have on the wildlife around them.
After taking some time to admire Fairy Falls, we decided to continue a half mile further down the trail to the two geysers. We began by crossing over some downed trees to forge the rapidly moving runoff from the falls. Occasional narrow logs helped us navigate the wet murky trail, which encircles the perimeter of a marsh, across which the geysers steam, marking our destination. Swarming bugs inspired us the move quickly and we were soon emerging from the dark woods to cross a field of grass before entering a forest blanketed in steam.
We snuck to the right first to look at Spray Geyser. The azure and yellow water, draped in steam was lovely but we saw little spray in our time there. Continuing on to Imperial Geyser, we arrived just as it was spurting over thirty feet into the air. The geyser continued to spray for our entire visit, making the journey well worth it. Later that day we’d watch Old Faithful as it erupted over one hundred feet in the air, yet when we spoke to our children at bedtime that evening about their favorite part of the day, Imperial Geyser had Old Faithful beat. There’s something about heading into nature and watching its treasures emerge with no one else but the land and animals around you to remind you how beautiful our earth is.
After taking it all in, we headed back down the trail, lumbering over logs at Fairy Falls and wandering back through a young forest pushing through the charred earth, only to be disturbed by the bear bells of passing hikers. Eventually we reached the wide trail that would lead us back towards the Prismatic Spring and our car. Another journey up to the observation overlook illustrated the beauty of the Spring in the afternoon sun, which had burned off some of the steam and gave striking clarity to the multi-colored water below.
With the sun came the bus loads of tourists who swarmed the path as we worked our way back to the car. It was difficult to move quickly, surrounded by so many chatting families and the view we had enjoyed in the morning of the winding river was marred by lines of cars that had crept out of the parking lot and littered the highway as folks scurried to view the Prismatic Spring. Although we had hiked six miles or more, the children were not wary as the hike had been fairly flat, making it easy on their short legs. Entering the car, I was pleased with the early start and quiet moments we had enjoyed on the trail. The Spring, falls, and geysers made for a great hike, with no lurking surprises from any bears and I was pleased to lock the bear spray up, knowing full well it would come out the next day as we continued to find the beauty tucked off the trails in Yellowstone and the land beyond.
