Yellowstone road trip! Fairy Falls trailhead for must-do Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook Trail in Yellowstone National Park 🌋 Wyoming things to do

Hi there!

The most popular reason people head to the Fairy Falls Trail is to go to the Grand Prismatic Spring overlook to see Yellowstone’s famous colorful hot spring from above.

This is one of the most popular things to do in Yellowstone National Park.

The Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail starts from the Fairy Falls trailhead.

And even before you get started on the trail, you will see colorful hot springs at the Fairy Falls Trail parking lot!

 

 

And then you will walk from the Fairy Falls trailhead to the Grand Prismatic Spring overlook.

 

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Getting to Fairy Falls Trail to hike to Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook

Getting to the Fairy Falls trailhead is easy enough.

There is a stretch of road along the western side of the Yellowstone Grand Loop Road that has a number of popular thermal basins.

The Grand Prismatic Spring is located in one of these popular thermal basins. It is a part of the Midway Geyser Basin.

When you’re driving, you’re not looking for the sign for the Midway Geyser Basin though if you’re wanting to see the Grand Prismatic Spring from above!

The Fairy Falls Trail is where you want to go to see the Grand Prismatic Spring from above.

So to start the hike to the Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook, you’ll look for the sign for the Fairy Falls Trail. This will be a turn off of the main road that is Grand Loop Road.

So the important thing is that you remember that it’s Fairy Falls that you’re looking for. I did not see any sign along the main road indicating the turn-off for the Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook.

It is also possible to see the Grand Prismatic Spring from ground level.

That is in a separate area just down the road from the Fairy Falls trailhead, and for that, you will look for signs for the Midway Geyser Basin.

If you see a sign for Grand Prismatic Spring, it will take you to the Midway Geyser Basin boardwalk trail.

 

👆 Map from the Fairy Falls Trailhead. You can locate the Grand Prismatic Spring towards the top of the map. There is the boardwalk trail that you can take to see the Grand Prismatic Spring from ground level. You can locate the Fairy Falls trailhead towards the bottom of the map. Then you can follow the trail to see where it diverges to continue on the Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook Trail. This is the hike to see the Grand Prismatic Spring from above.

 

 

 

More below about starting a hike from the Fairy Falls trailhead!

 

 

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Now…

Starting the Fairy Falls Trail

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I was at the Fairy Falls trailhead in October 2021, and this is what the parking area was like. Parking situations can change!

So once you see the sign for Fairy Falls, you’ll turn down the road.

 

 

When you start driving down the road, you will see that there are 2 main parking areas.

If you follow the paved road, this will take you to the parking area that is closest to the Fairy Falls trailhead.

But there is limited parking here.

 

 

So if that’s a full parking lot, then you will loop back around to drive to the gravel road you just passed.

This is a much larger parking area, although it’s a bit longer of a walk to get to the start of the trail.

 

 

So once you find a parking spot, you’ll make your way to the parking lot on the paved road if you didn’t get a parking spot there, and then onwards to the Fairy Falls trailhead to start the hike to the Grand Prismatic Spring overlook!

There are colorful hot springs at both of the parking areas!

 

 

The Fairy Falls Trail starts off by crossing a bridge that goes over the Firehole River.

Then you will start hiking the Fairy Falls Trail!

 

 

You will come to a trail junction, and there you will follow the sign to the Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook. That is where you will start the hike UP.

 

 

 

And that’s a bit about getting started on the Fairy Falls Trail to see the Grand Prismatic Spring!

 

Have a look at trails to see thermal features in Yellowstone:

• Trail to Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook
• How to see Old Faithful Geyser eruption
• Trail to Solitary Geyser
• Trail to Clepsydra Geyser
• Biscuit Basin Trail
• Black Sand Basin Trail

 

Plan more of your trip to Yellowstone and beyond:

• Things to do in Yellowstone National Park
• Grand Teton to Yellowstone
• Things to do in Grand Teton National Park
• Yellowstone to Craters of the Moon

 

HAPPY HIKING FROM FAIRY FALLS TRAILHEAD!