Lone Star Geyser

Dogs No Dogs

Features Geological Significance · Hot Spring · River/Creek

Lone Star Trail is an easy, flat hike up the old park road (now a bike path) along the Firehole River to the geyser. Not just any geyser--many people consider Lone Star almost as good as Old Faithful. Whether or not that is true, Lone Star is spectacular and well-worth the hike to see it. The trail closely follows the river through a forest partially burned by the 1988 fires. It remains close to the water, twisting and turning its way past you to reach the Upper Geyser Basin.

Lone Star Geyser erupts about every 3 hours. Look for the log book maintained by the Park Service to see if previous visitors have noted the time of the last eruption. The geyser itself will also give you a clue of its pending eruption. It generally begins splashing about 90 minutes prior to eruption and builds for the big event. Eruptions last about 5 minutes and are followed by a loud steam phase that can be heard a mile away.

The Lone Star Geyser Trail is located just south of Kepler Cascades on the Old Faithful to West Thumb road. At the .5 mile mark the trail makes a bridged crossing of the river. At 1.6 miles the Spring Creek Trail joins from the left. Continue straight and follow the trail as it bends to the right and affords nice views of a small meadow through which the Firehole runs.

At the 2.5 mile mark, Lone Star Geyser is reached. Bicyclists will have to park their bikes at the bike rack before continuing to the geyser. As a Texan I was disappointed to learn that "Lone Star" Geyser was not named after my home state, but rather because it is a significant geyser that stands alone, away from the large concentration of geysers down river. Lone Star's 10-foot geyser cone is one of the largest in Yellowstone, indicating that this geyser has been erupting here for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. And its 45 foot eruptions which shoot from the top of the cone are well worth the wait.

The trail continues another .2 miles near a number of hot springs and small geysers and ends at a junction with the Shoshone Lake Trail and the Howard Eaton Trail to Old Faithful.

Thanks to guidebook author, Tom Carter, for sharing this trail description. To learn more about visiting Yellowstone, check out his book, Day Hiking Yellowstone.

This mostly paved path was used as an auto road until 1971. Today pedestrians and bicyclists enjoy a pleasant trip along a beautifully serene stretch of the Firehole River to reach Lone Star Geyser. The man-made structures you'll notice in the river are part of an old drinking-water system for the Old Faithful area.