Hi there!
As it goes in Yellowstone National Park, there are many geysers to see!
While the most famous of them all is the Old Faithful geyser, that’s not the only one to see.
There are many smaller geysers located throughout Yellowstone’s thermal basins.
And one such Yellowstone geyser is the Solitary Geyser.
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But, as it also goes in Yellowstone, watching a geyser erupt is all about your timing.
So, you may or may not be able to see the Solitary Geyser erupt.
In order for you to see a geyser eruption immediately upon your arrival to any geyser, it needs to be a geyser that frequently erupts, or you need to get lucky. That’s what makes it even more exciting when you do actually get to see it erupting!
Most Yellowstone geysers aren’t predicted, therefore there’s no way of knowing when it will erupt. So you can’t time your hike to watch most geyser eruptions in Yellowstone, and that includes the Solitary Geyser.
This geyser is located alongside a trail that not as many people go to compared to the crowded and most popular Old Faithful observation deck, so it’s a bit of a hidden geyser!
It’s a geyser hike you can do in the Upper Geyser Basin alongside a visit to watch the Old Faithful eruption!
If you’re planning on hiking to see Old Faithful from above, then you should stop by the Solitary Geyser! You’ll want to be sure to do the Old Faithful Observation Trail as a loop.
👇 And well, I didn’t get to see a Solitary Geyser eruption!
The important things to know about the Solitary Geyser eruption!
While there is no specific eruption prediction timing provided like the Old Faithful, the Solitary Geyser seemed to erupt pretty frequently.
According to the National Park Service, about the Solitary Geyser:
Solitary Geyser erupts about 4 feet every 5 to 7 minutes.
This would mean that if it’s erupting as it usually does, if you wait around for at least 10 minutes, then there’s a good chance that you’ll see a Solitary Geyser eruption!
But, it is nature, so it can’t always be predicted!
From the time stamp on my pictures, it seems like I was around the Solitary Geyser for around 7 minutes. And I did not see an eruption.
There was one moment where there was one burst of bubbling, so I wonder if that was the extent of the “eruption” this time around. 🤔 Because otherwise, the Solitary Geyser spring was calm.
Or, maybe if I would have waited around for just another few more minutes I would have seen the “normal” eruption!
Solitary geyser hike: Hiking around the Upper Geyser Basin along the Observation Point Trail to get to Solitary Geyser
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In order to see the Solitary Geyser, you’ll need to hike to it!
You will find signs for the Solitary Geyser along the Old Faithful Observation Point Trail.
The Observation Point Trail is what you want to hike if you want to see the Old Faithful Geyser from above.
And then, you can make a side trip to see a potential Solitary Geyser eruption while you at it.
If you hike the Observation Point Trail as a loop, then you’ll pass right by the Solitary Geyser.
I hiked to Solitary Geyser after I saw the Old Faithful geyser eruption from above at Observation Point.
So if you have plans to see the Old Faithful from above, then it’s easy to make a trip to the Solitary Geyser as a part of your hike.
Hiking directly from around the Old Faithful viewing area at Observation Point to Solitary Geyser is listed as around a 0.4 mile hike one way.
The Observation Point Trail in its entirety is listed as 1.5 miles round trip.
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And, when you see a thermal area near geysers in Yellowstone… stay behind the barrier! Thermal areas can be HOT and dangerous.
Solitary Geyser in the 50s
Weather in Yellowstone can make a difference in how the Solitary Geyser looks when you see it!
You notice steam coming off of the hot spring in these pictures. The air temperature was on the cooler side.
For reference, my visit to the Solitary Geyser was in early October around 4pm. It was in the 50s F at that time.
Trail to Solitary Geyser: Hiking to see Solitary Geyser
Once you start hiking on the Observation Point Trail, you will basically just follow the signs to Solitary Geyser!
And then you’ll start to see it open up in the distance, and you’ve reached the Solitary Geyser!
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And then after you’ve taken in the views around the Solitary Geyser, back into the forest you go to get back to the Upper Geyser Basin trail!
And that’s a bit about a hike for a chance to see a geyser eruption in the Upper Geyser Basin area!
See more geysers in Yellowstone:
- How to see the Old Faithful Geyser eruption
- Great Fountain Geyser
- White Dome Geyser
- Clepsydra Geyser
Plan more of your trip to Yellowstone:
- How to spend one day in Yellowstone
- Grand Teton to Yellowstone
- One day in Grand Teton
- Driving through Grand Teton
- Yellowstone to Craters of the Moon
- Things to do in Craters of the Moon National Monument
GOOD LUCK SEEING A SOLITARY GEYSER ERUPTION!
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