Drive The Firehole Lake Loop
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Description
Added by Trent Sizemore
Secluded area of Yellowstone. Easy drive with plenty of parking. Walking on boardwalks to see features up close. Beautiful sunset location.
Firehole Lake Drive is a 2 mile one way road, near the Lower Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park. This is one of the hidden gems in Yosemite where you'll find solitude and quietness. You may see a few people here on a busy day, but you can often find yourself alone.
While driving around the loop, there is ample parking for several unique thermal features in this area. Park in any of the pull off lots and walk out on the boardwalks to get an up close view - you can get closer to the thermal features than you might expect.
Photographing here at sunset can be tricky. With bright sun, and reflecting water, you need to keep your exposures down to avoid blowing out highlights. It's easy to recover dark shadow areas in post processing. Days with fog make the scene dramatically more interesting. Wildlife is possible here as well, as I've encountered a few bison.
Notable features, photographed above, include Firehole Lake, Pink Cone Geyser, White Dome Geyser, Great Fountain Geyser, and several smaller pools and fumaroles.
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Reviews
This was a more secluded area than some of the other spots with geysers and hot springs and we were so happy to be able to explore at our leisure without a lot of traffic. Not as dramatic as Grand Prismatic, but still lots of great views and cool geothermal features.
5.0
This is a great drive to do to get away from the huge crowds. This drive has many many places to stop so make sure to hit them all!!
5.0
Excellent spot for several reasons including its beauty and less crowds. Can make it quick too if you are on a time line, or take your time at several stops. Do this drive!
5.0
Beautiful spot within Yellowstone! Was able to experience it during winter when the ground was blankets with fresh snow. Only issue was we were not able to walk most of the boardwalks because Bison had taken over the area to keep warm. Nevertheless, an amazingly beautiful spot.
5.0
The Firehole Lake Loop is definitely worth the few extra minutes it takes to visit. While many other locations in the park were busy, this loop was quiet. The hot springs, the mud pools were just as spectacular as any we saw at the park. Can see a lot in a short distance because many of the locations have only a short walk to the end of a boardwalk.
5.0
There's a lot packed into this drive and I enjoy it even more under a full moon.
5.0
Leave No Trace
Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!
Nearby
Explore Midway Geyser Basin
Night Photography at Yellowstone Geysers
Fairy Falls
Hike above Grand Prismatic Spring
Sentinel Meadows to Fairy Falls and Imperial Geyser
Hike the Mystic Falls Loop
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