Mystic Falls and an Old Faithful Eruption from Afar

Starting at the Biscuit Basin boardwalks, the first half of the Mystic Falls Loop Trail can be quite popular in the summer. We will start by walking the geyser basin and seeing the geothermal sights, smell the smells and listen to the sounds. Once done with the boardwalk, we hit the trail and head to the scenic Mystic Falls along the side of the Little Firehole River on a mostly flat path. At the end of the mostly flat section of trail, we will reach Mystic Falls. On a cool day, you’ll see steam from thermal activity along the falls. On a warm day, you’ll see other hikers along the rocks at the base of the falls, posing for pictures, soaking in the river and generally enjoy the wonderful waterfall experience. The falls are a cascade, which tumble down 70 feet.

After the falls, the trail switchbacks up a slightly narrow trail as we make our way up to the Madison Plateau. Over the next mile, you’ll gain roughly 500 feet in elevation, making you earn the upcoming views. After the first half mile, the trail enters the forest and footing becomes much more steady. Around the two mile mark, the trail tops out at 7,800 feet. When you meet the trail junction at the top, stay to the right. The views along this stretch are minimal here, but don’t worry. The trail gently rolls for the next 3/4 of a mile and reaches one of the highlights of hiking in Yellowstone.

When you get to the viewpoint, you’ll know. You won’t think twice above walking toward the ledge and enjoying the sweeping views of the entire Geyser Basin. Over 150 active geysers are before you, including the iconic Old Faithful. The latter is important to note because on this tour, you have a unique opportunity. Atop the ledge, we will sit and look around, scaring for wildlife, looking at the landscape and waiting for Old Faithful’s eruption. We may only wait minutes, we may wait an hour, but no matter what, it will be worth it. Once the eruption starts, you’ll see the water and steam of Old Faithful from afar as you also may be able to occasionally hear the crowds sitting around the iconic thermal feature erupt in applause afterwards. The geyser is a little less than three miles away, as the crow flies, giving a greater perspective on the region and this iconic eruption.

I can’t recommend this entire enough. Not only will you walk through steam, past boiling hot springs and alongside a gorgeous backcountry waterfalls, you’ll also be able to do something only a handful of visitors do a year. If you have seen Old Faithful erupt up close, this distance viewing brings a better sense of size and scale of the eruption. Seeing it from here has returned the wonder and joy of Old Faithful eruptions to even the most jaded of Yellowstone enthusiasts.

The hike down from this viewpoint is a bit steep, dropping all of the elevation you gained in one mile of trail. There are some steep sections, so we will take our time heading down. At the end of the mile of descent, we reach the junction of the trail in Biscuit Basin. From there, we head back to parking area and you can go and enjoy the rest off your day!