The Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park is the largest hot spring in the United States and the third largest in the world.  The different colours surrounding the spring are like nothing else you have seen anywhere making it one of the most popular attractions in Yellowstone along with Old Faithful.

In September this year, we spent three days exploring Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Prismatic Spring was at the top of my list of places I wanted to see during the trip. As well as wanting to take photos of the spring from the boardwalks at ground level, I also wanted to be able to see the spring from above. The Grand Prismatic Overlook is a short and easy hike (1.2 miles round trip) from the Fairy Falls parking lot and is the best place to get one of the iconic photos of Yellowstone National Park.

A handy need-to-know is that the Fairy Falls parking lot does get very busy so you will need to be prepared to either wait for a parking space if travelling during the busy peak summer months or arrive early or late in the day when the crowds are lower. When we visited at the end of September, the parking lot was still very busy (we were very lucky that the weather was perfect during our stay) and we could only get a space at the furthest point from the start of the trail.

To start the trail, walk over the bridge from the parking lot across the Firehole River and carry on walking along the path.

The first half of the hike is almost flat the entire way and you are able to see the steam from the Grand Prismatic Spring ahead of you in the distance. The path will split into two and the Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook is clearly signposted off to the left.

From this point, the trail climbs 105 feet. It is not a hard climb in the slightest and it is not too steep but we were both out of breath – Yellowstone National Park is over 8000 feet above sea level so any physical exertion feels a lot harder than it would be normally due to the lack of oxygen in the air. The best thing to do is just to take your time and not rush yourself.

On the walk uphill, you can start to see little sneak peeks of the view through the trees and you know that the view is going to be completely worth the walk. From leaving the Fairy Falls parking lot to arriving at the Grand Prismatic Overlook took us twenty minutes.

The view overlooking the rainbow colours of the Grand Prismatic Spring is incredible. Even though there were lots of people at the overlook, it was very sane and it did not feel crowded at all the day we were there.

The next day, we stopped back at the Grand Prismatic Spring to see it from ground level – if you have time, I highly recommend seeing both views just to get a different perspective of this amazing sight. There was a line to get into the car park when we arrived but once again it was very sane as each car waited at the entrance to the car park until they saw a car leaving a parking space. It took about ten minutes for us to get to the front of the line and get a space when someone else left – patience is key here though I imagine in the summer months it might not be so calm.

There was something magical about walking the boardwalks in a loop around not only the Grand Prismatic Spring but also the beautiful Excelsior Geyser Crater, the Turquoise Pool and the Opal Pool. We visited just before lunchtime which I had read was the best time to visit as the colours would be much more vivid than earlier or later in the day which they definitely were.

If you are visiting Yellowstone National Park, the short hike to the Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook should definitely be on your list. As for handy hints for visiting: bring water, wear sensible shoes and plan for possible crowds and you cannot go wrong.

Since this blog post was written back in 2019, some of the information may no longer be accurate or up to date. Be sure to do your own research and check official websites for the latest details before making any of your own travel plans.

Support Me and Buy Me a Coffee
Pin this Blog Post on Pinterest
Follow Me on Instagram
Follow Me on Bloglovin’