Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park
add photos24 Reviews for Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park
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'11, '12
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"Crowded geyser - but of course you have to go"
Of course you have to see Old Faithful if you are in Yellowstone National Park. The problem is, every tourist will be there so hiking around the boardwalk isn’t exactly peaceful. My recommendation is to take your family once. Take a picture of the kids standing in front of Old Faithful erupting. Then go inside the Old Faithful Inn, order some coffee and/or ice cream and sit out on the Inn’s huge deck. Enjoy Old Faithful from a distance, away from all of the crowds. In my opinion the Old Faithful Inn is really the thing to see at this location.
There are some nice hikes along the upper geyser basin that begin at Old Faithful. If your family has the time, it is worth it to walk around and see some of the other geothermal features. Warn your kids about the stinky smell of sulfur that they will experience. Also be sure that the kids keep to the boardwalk as to avoid any injuries from falling through thin ground.
In summary, Old Faithful is an iconic place to visit. Every tourist to Yellowstone National Park should get a picture of this famous geyser erupting. But keep in mind that this place is full of tourists, so hiking here won’t really feel like getting away from it all.
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"Old Faithful"
Great! Make sure your kid has seen one of the dozen or so movies with Old Faithful in it so they know why it's cool. Also, you might have to wait to see it (don't worry, they have a schedule once you're there with a time range for the next eruption so you don't miss it). But while you wait there are little walkways to wander on, or tons of tourists to chat with.
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"Yellowstone"
I would say that Yellowstone is great to go and see, but it's not all that exciting for little kids. I think they were disappointed with Old Faithful, after waiting so long in the car and then again at the site. They think the hot pots are neat and so are the animals, but there is a lot of road in between stops. The lake is also nice to stop and see. I kind of wish we would have waited until our kids were a little bit older before taking them though.
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"Very cool for adults, maybe not as cool for kiddos"
Old Faithful is very cool. It's amazing how this geyser goes off on such a regular basis. Old Faithful is incredibly crowded, however, which can get frustrating. While adults may find this miracle of nature to be really wonderful, it's not all that exciting for the little ones. Definitely worth seeing, but if you have to wait more than ten minutes, I'd spend your time walking around the geyser basin. Morning Glory pool is much cooler than Old Faithful if you ask me.
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"Smelly, but amazing"
This place is an amazing display of nature. Our daughter loved it when the water shot out of Old Faithful. She has recently learned the word "stink" and continuously said it because of the "rotten egg" smell that the sulfide gas puts off. It was acutally pretty funny. This is a fun event for a family and should not be missed.
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"Old Faithful"
This is definitely a great place to take kids, but we have small children & it was a little much. They thought Old Faithful was cool, but the waiting part was not! If you want a good spot where the kiddos can see well, you have to get there early & then play the waiting game! I'm sure they'll like it better when they are older!
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"A Must See"
This is something everyone should take the opportunity to see at least once in their lifetime. It's amazing that a "volcano" can erupt with enough regularity that it can be predicted. My kids love seeing Old Faithful erupt and then taking a stroll along the boardwalks to see all the "stink pots."
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"Ok, but BORING"
according to my then 6 year old. It was hard for the kids to really appreciate and enjoy the amazing events of our earth. I think this is more for an older family, or maybe my kids are just bored easily! LOL We do plan a return trip in the future, when the kids are a little older.
There is a visitors center, but for the kids, that was boring too, as it is full of information to read. Some families may be happy with this, but my children are more interactive and not happy just being read to.
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"Like Clockwork"
It amazed us all how faithful "Old Faithful" really is. If you are going to Yellowstone National Park, this is a must-see. It occurs frequently, and there are gift shops and food available if you need to wait a few minutes for the next "show." Would definitely return to see it again.
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"Was amazing"
It was definitely worth the wait in the hot sun to see Old Faithful. It was amazing. It was a beautiful area and a wonderful experience. We also walked around the building next to it and got a snack to eat and relaxed a bit while we were waiting for the next eruption. Definitely glad they had something there while we waited.
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"Worth the hype :)"
We were able to see Old Faithful shoot off several times, and both times got a slightly different show. After the first, my husband asked, "Is that it?" Luckily, after a really delicious dinner at the cafeteria (it was about $9 a dinner, but our fish and chicken came with veggies, stuffing, and a roll), we headed back to watch again. This time was much better, as the geyser really took off. Of course, there were a ton of people there, but there was room for everyone, and you really get a great view from any angle. We also took a look inside the lodge, where it was nice and warm :)
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"EXPLODING GEYSER"
LAST SUMMER, MY MOM,MY KIDS AND I VENTURED OUT WEST. WE STARTED IN RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA AND RODE THROUGH WYOMING TO YELLOWSTONE. IT WAS AS BEAUTIFUL AS I REMEMBERED. THE FIRST DAY WE WERE THERE, WE DROVE TO OLD FAITHFUL AND THE OTHER GEYSERS. A LOT HAS CHANGED SINCE I WAS YOUNG. OLD FAITHFUL HAD A LOT OF SEATS AROUND IT AND IT WAS 5-10 MINUTES FROM IT'S ERUPTION TIME. MY KIDS OOH AND AWED OVER IT. IT TEASED US WITH A FEW SQUIRTS AND THEN FINALLY SHOT UP A 100 FEET OR SO. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL. MY SON WANTED TO WATCH IT AGAIN. WE ALL ENJOYED THE STROLL THROUGH THE PATH OF VARIOUS GEYSERS AND HOT SPRINGS. WE RECEIVED A SURPRISE WHEN WE WERE WATCHING A DEER AND A GEYSER SHOT UP AND SPRAYED US AND WE WERE STARTLED AT FIRST, BECAUSE WE EXPECTED IT TO BE HOT AND IT WAS COOL. THE KIDS AND I LAUGHED ABOUT IT. THE KIDS,MY MOM AND I HAD A FUN TIME. A WONDERFUL TRIP FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY.
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"Yellowstone National Park"
Love this place! There are so many things to do and see. There is a lot of natural wildlife, and so many different types of nature to see. Old Faithful is just that; faithful. I love that you can set a time to see it erupt and not have to worry that you won't be able to see the attraction after traveling a long distance to see it. It is a great family trip!!
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"Old Faithful"
My children loved this place, but not the smell. Of course scenery does not mean a whole lot to most children. Waiting for the geyser to blast off can take a while and waiting w/kids can be stressful. Once it went off the kids were ready to go. The movie was a little boring and the walking was quite a bit all around the smaller geysers and paint pots. IT is quite a bit of walking which has a very strong odor. My kids got tired of walking too. I have wonderful kids who are normally a joy to be around, but for some reason this was a bit much for them and they are older kids? Still I think one day they will greatly appreciate that they had the chance to see this place.
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"Old Faithful is a must see"
I don't think any family can visit YNP without stopping to see Old Faithful. The geyser erupts on a regular basis and is really a neat sight. There's plenty of seating if you'd like to sit and wait or you can explore to cute tourist shops for a fun souviner! There are also boardwalks for safe viewing of other geyser pools in the area. And there's always a buffalo or two to snap and picture of! My boys love this stop!
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"The Most Reliable Show in Yellowstone"
Iconic and a must see. Experience the hush in the crowd as the famous geyser erupts to the height of about 100-180 feet. In 2010, the intervals are about 90 minutes. Eruptions are predicted one at a time, with time estimates within a 10 minute window, based on the data of the previous eruption.
Take the time to walkthe 2.8 mile round-trip to Morning Glory Pool and see 10-12 other geysers along the way. In the 2 hours we were walking, we were able to catch several of them erupting including the Riverside Geyser which featured a beautiful rainbow in its spray hovering across the Firehole River.
In the Old Faithful area, the National Parks Service staff predict the eruptions of 6 major geysers. Information is available at the Old Faithful visitors center Bear in mind however, that aside from Old faithful, the window of the predicted times can range from 1 hours to 4 hours. However, most of these predicted geysers are quite spectacular. Get the trail guide for a donation of 50 cents and it will give you clues to help you decide if you should stay and wait for a particular predicted geyser along the trail.
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"Old Faithful was amazing!"
We loved looking at the geysers. It was awesome. I worked there in college, so it was neat for me to go back and see how much the landscape had changed. My daughter did get a little tired on hikes sometimes. But she's a trooper! We camped at Madison while there, and it was pretty basic for camping. We didn't go on any tours. But my daughter has a national park passport (a must for any child if you ask me) and she of course got it stamped. We really enjoyed seeing the Bison and learning from the rangers.
1 family found this helpful
"Must see but kinda overrated"
When you go to Yellowstone there are two things you absolutely have to see- Old Faithful and bison. They are part of Yellowstone's fame and culture. If you drive around the main loop of the park you are pretty much guaranteed to see bison. If you head over to geyser basin and have a little patience, you will definitely see Old Faithful. As far as the geysers in the basin go, it isn't the most impressive in terms of beauty or power. But it is very reliable. During the summer huge crowds fill the benches around the geyser and watch the clock with anticipation. Then it all of the sudden it shoots massive amounts of steam and water into the air. For me, the crowds and the commercialization of this feature were a bit distracting. If you want a nice quiet view of Old Faithful go inside the building where the cafeteria is located and grab a big comfy chair in front of the massive windows. If you really want to experience the glory of Geyser Basin, take a walk. There is a paved trail and a boardwalk trail that connect and form a nice loop around the basin. You will see plenty of geysers, pools, and bubble pots along the trail. We were lucky enought o stumble upon the Riverside Geyser just as it was going off (It only goes off once every 5-6 hours) and it was very beautiful as it sprayed up above the river.
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"Good show!"
It is a little over-hyped, what with the hoards of tourists waiting for that 4 min eruption, the built-in benches and boardwalk all around the one geyser, the massive car-park next to it and the shops everywhere. But it is a great geyser, it does erupt faithfully and the rangers give an interesting talk for about 10-15 min before it erupts so you have something to listen to while waiting and securing your photo spot. Kids can definitely appreciate a good water spout.
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"You have to!"
If you go to Yellowstone you have to see Old Faithful. It is just an unwritten law. If you have my luck you will get there just after it erupts. Thankfully the gift shop (with yummy ice cream upstairs) and restaurant will help entertain. My little 9 year old sister liked the jr. ranger program and it is fun how they make a big deal of it when you complete all the tasks.
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