Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Fountain Freight Road
Duration
1 hour cycling (up to 4 hours with excursions)
Distance
7.4 miles return
Difficulty
Easy
Elevation Change
Negligible
Start/Finish
Fairy Falls/Steel Bridge Trailhead (0K5;
Click here
)
Nearest Town/Junction
Old Faithful
Summary
An easy flat bike ride on a gravel road that allows lots of stops and detours on
foot - perfect for families.
The 4-mile Old Fountain Freight Rd between Fountain Flat Dr and Fairy Falls Trailhead
offers an opportunity to combine some pedaling with a hike to Fairy Falls and an explora-
tion of the Pocket Basin backcountry thermal area.
mer) and cycle over the steel bridge (sometimes called Soldier Bridge). After 0.5 miles
you'll see the blue blur of
Grand Prismatic Spring
to the right. Park the bike here and
make the short but steep hike up the volcanic hillside to the left (look for the trails) for
fantastic aerial views over the spring.
From here it's another 0.5 miles to the turnoff to
Fairy Falls
. You can't bike this side
trail, but you can park your bike at the rack and make the 3.2-mile return detour to the wa-
terfalls on foot (
Click here
)
.
From the turnoff to Fairy Falls, pedal north along the gravel road for 1.2 miles to
Goose
Lake
, the northern shore of which makes for a good picnic spot, either now or on the way
back. Continue north, past the Imperial/Sentinel Meadows Trailhead to the bridge over the
Firehole River. Park your bike at the bridge and check out the
Ojo Caliente
hot spring on
the north bank. It's also well worth making the short hike along the unmarked trail east on
the north side of the river to the hot springs and geysers of little-visited
Pocket Basin
,
just 10 minutes from the bridge. The two-hour
Sentinel Meadows and Queen's Laundry
Geyser
hike also departs from here (
Click here
)
.
From the bridge turn back and cycle the 3.7 miles back to your car. If one member of
your group is happy driving down to Old Faithful, the rest of you could continue south
from the parking lot for 2.6 miles along the busy Grand Loop Rd to
Biscuit Basin
, where
