Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Fairy Falls (Steel Bridge) Trailhead is just west of the Grand Loop Rd, 1 mile
south of the Midway Geyser Basin turnoff and 4.5 miles north of the Old Faithful over-
pass. The parking lot often fills up after 11am. Use the north side of Trails Illustrated's
1:63,360 map No 302
Old Faithful
. The trail is closed until Memorial Day weekend due
to the presence of bears.
Cross the
Firehole River
on the silver trestle bridge, then head northwest along Foun-
tain Flat Dr, which is now a wide gravel cycling and hiking path. After 1 mile you'll no-
tice multicolored steam rising from
Grand Prismatic Spring
on the right. You can't
reach the boardwalk from this trail, but you can scramble up the unofficial trails to your
left for an astonishing bird's-eye view of Yellowstone's most beautiful thermal feature.
The park service plans to build a formal trail here as soon as funds allow. Continue 0.3
miles to a trail junction and turn left onto the narrower
Fairy Creek Trail
(if you are cyc-
ling, lock your bike here). The trail winds 1.6 miles past backcountry campsite OD1
through lodgepole forest burned in the 1988 fires.
At 197ft,
Fairy Falls
is the park's seventh-highest waterfall, but the whispy volume of
water is hardly on a par with the falls on the Yellowstone River. Still, patterned streaks of
white water blanket the dark lower rocks, and clumps of raspberries and fireweed flourish
around a pretty pool, which makes for a fine swimming hole on a hot and sticky summer
day.
After crossing a footbridge, the trail continues 0.7 miles northwest toward the promin-
ent
Twin Buttes
and several conspicuous plumes of rising steam. Cross several marshy
patches with the aid of log bridges and then take the right branch for the closest plume
emanating from
Spray Geyser
, erupting frequently to a height of 6ft to 8ft. Continue
west, following the outlet from
Imperial Geyser
, which is lined with orange algae. Im-
perial plays almost perpetually, projecting blasts of water up to 20ft into its large rainbow
pool. If you care to climb onto the buttes, head across the open slopes behind Imperial
Geyser for fine views. After discovering the collection of lily-choked ponds hidden in a
hollow between the two summits, you can continue to either summit without much diffi-
culty. Views to the east encompass the Lower and Midway Geyser Basins, while to the
west the trail-free Madison Plateau stretches off toward the park boundary. Retrace your
steps to the Fairy Falls Trailhead.
DeLacy Creek Trail
Duration
2½-3½ hours
Distance
6 miles
