The Brand New Old Faithful Visitor Center Yellowstone On Aug 26, 2010 - 1 Day After Opening
When in Yellowstone National Park one of the sights you MUST see is Old Faithful, the geyser that blows up and spews water way up into the air at fairly regular intervals (about every 65 to 90 minutes). There are lots of other active geysers in the area of Old Faithful but you at least need to see Old Faithful. Now that the new Old Faithful Visitor center is open and complete you have another reason to go to the Old Faithful area of Yellowstone.
The Start of An Old Faithful Eruption Seen From the Observation Point Trail - August 26, 2010
Once you are at Old Faithful you have a lot of viewing options. There is a boardwalk around Old Faithful that has a lot of benches up close to Old Faithful. When the geyser blows these are all good spots from which to view it. Since it takes virtually no effort to get to these areas, almost everyone in the Old Faithful area there to see Old Faithful erupt will be packed into this area. It can get a little crowded and may be hard to get clear pictures without someone else’s hand, camera of face in your photo.
An Old Faithful Eruption Seen From the Old Faithful Observation Point About 200 Feet Above Old Faithful - August 26, 2010
One of the best alternative spots from which to watch Old Faithful erupt is from the Old Faithful Observation Point. The Old Faithful Observation Point is about 200 feet higher than the surface of the Old Faithful Geyser, it typically not very crowded and provides a nice aerial view of Old Faithful when it erupts. In order to really make it worth it to hike up to the Observation Point you should have a camera with a good zoom lens or a set of binoculars if you just intend to hike up to enjoy the sights.
A Solitary Geyser Eruption At Yellowstone National Park - August 26, 2010
The trail up to the observation point is a 1.1 mile loop and there is a little exertion involved to get to the observation point. There are some steps, some dirt and rocks here and there. You will know when you get to the top by the wooden fence that marks the cliff over which you look to see Old Faithful down below. Once you get your view of an Old Faithful Eruption in if you continue on down the trail you’ll come to Solitary Geyser. It is much smaller and more frequent than Old Faithful with eruptions every 5-7 minutes that go somewhere from 5-10 feet high and may vary somewhat.
A Wild Bison Near Old Faithful At Yellowstone National Park - August 26, 2010
The Old Faithful area is also an area where you will almost definitely see bison either along the trail or somewhere along the way when you are walking to the trail head. Bison at Yellowstone are generally very docile but you should never get to close to them (the guide is 25 yards). If you should see one start to stamp, snort or buck around chances are it may feel that its’ space is being encroached upon and you are getting a little to close! Keep your distance and you should be able to safely get some good pictures of the WILD bison in the Old Faithful area of Yellowstone!
