Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Difficulty
Easy
Elevation Change
negligible
Start/Finish
Freight Rd Trailhead (OK6), Fountain Flat Dr
Nearest Town/Junction
Madison Junction
Summary
Some off-trail exploring to a little-visited geyser basin, with a good chance of
spotting bison.
This trail is a good choice if you fancy a bit of simple off-route trailfinding. It's flat and
easy but requires some basic navigational skills. Park at the end of
Fountain Flat Dr
,
just off the main Grand Loop Rd, 6 miles south of Madison Junction and 13 miles north of
Old Faithful. From the parking lot it's 0.3 miles along the dirt road to the
Ojo Caliente
Spring
and the bridge over the Firehole River, which is where the Sentinel Meadows Trail
branches west off the gravel road. You can bike this first section and chain your bike to
the bridge for your return.
Turning onto the Sentinel Meadows Trail, the trail swings away from the Firehole
River, passing underneath telephone lines. The soil quickly turns to white, hinting at the
thermal features lying ahead. Fifteen minutes into the hike you pass backcountry campsite
OG1. The trail climbs a small hill to offer views of the valley, its three smoking thermal
features and a probable scattering of bison.
Mound Spring
is the closest and most ex-
pansive of the springs;
Steep Cone
is the tallest, and
Flat Cone
is the furthest, across the
creek. The trail ascends a second small hill, before skirting around a patch of new-growth
forest, 1.7 miles from the trailhead.
This is where things get tricky. As the main trail bends to the left to hook around the
forested hill, look to the right to see the steam of
Queen's Laundry Geyser
- this is your
destination. Look out for a faint trail that parallels the main path as it swings to the south
(a post in the ground makes a rough marker). This faint trail heads northwest, skirting the
forest, and after 100 yards curves right over a rough log bridge. The trail peters out here
and the ground gets boggy, so trace a large arc counterclockwise to the right of the bog,
staying on dry ground to get to the far northern side of the geyser, by a
ruined wooden
cabin
. The historic cabin is a former bathhouse, built in 1881 by park superintendent
Norris as the first national park building designed solely for public use. The geyser gets its
name from the bathing costumes that used to hang up to dry on strings beside the bath-
house. The deep blue geyser (really more of a pool) drains past the bathhouse into a wide
cascade. Don't get too close to the geyser - act as if the normal boardwalks and warning
signs were in place.
