Yellowstone Day 3 — Smaller Geyser Basins

Yellowstone is, of course, famous for its geysers like Old Faithful and Steamboat, but the park also has many other nice geothermal sites that are very pretty despite not necessarily having a star status. The best part is they are not as crowded. After visiting all the main attractions, it was time for us to look around and find something else to see.

Fountain Paint Pot

The Fountain Paint Pot is located in the Lower Geyser Basin just a little north of the Old Faithful site. The trail around the site is a short boardwalk that goes around in a loop. It took us about 20 minutes to see everything.

We were driving south on the Grand Loop road and were determined to stop at all the smaller attractions; however, it turned out most of them were still closed (we visited just before the main season began, so many smaller drives and hikes were still closed).

Our next stop turned out to be Old Faithful site, mostly because we were hungry and it was the closest location that had food and restrooms. People gathered near Old Faithful, so the Old Faithful Lodge Cafeteria was pleasantly empty. We ordered bagels with coffee and found a nice table to sit at and enjoy the geyser’s eruption.

Continental Divide

After the Old Faithful we drove southeast along the loop road and stumbled upon the site of the Continental Divide. Of course, the Continental Divide is not a point on a map, it is a line that spans the United States from north to south and separates the watershed of Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

It is a pretty little site just off the road, with a parking lot and a small lake called Isa Lake that empties into both oceans. The way this happens is very interesting. During the spring, when the water level rises significantly, the lake overflows and the direction of the water flow reverses. The east side of the lake empties into the Pacific ocean and the west side of the lake empties into the Atlantic.

There is also a nice big sign for photo ops.

West Thumb Geyser Basin

West Thumb Geyser is the main geothermal site near Yellowstone Lake. It is not as impressive as other geothermal sites, but it is unusual because some of the geothermal features are in the lake itself.

We were lucky: the weather was ideal for a stroll along the lake shore. It was also warm and windless. The site has a big parking lot and basic amenities. There was no food or drinks nearby. The closest site with food or drinks was the Lake Lodge area.