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There's a local saying in Yellowstone that there are only 3 seasons July, August and winter. Well this being the 2nd day of September you might have expected different conditions. There was a covering of ice on the car in the morning but that was it. We drove in to Yellowstone NP from Montana along side the Madison River where the scenery is stunning.
A Bald Eagle perched above the riverFurther along a Buffalo We reached the Fairy Falls trailhead where we parked the car. A great tip we received from a local (by that I mean an American
) was if you are visiting the Grand Prismatic Spring do it from here as you miss all the crowds and get far better views.
You immediately cross a bridge over the Firehole River
After walking along the track for a mile we saw the steam rising on the right hand side
At this point we cut up on to the hillside on the left on a rough trail through broken trees from where the views open up.
The largest hot spring in Yellowstone and one of the largest in the world.
Grand Prismatic SpringThis must be one of the best viewpoints on the planet
From this point you can carry on to the Fairy falls but we headed back the way we came. Bears are often seen on this track but we didn't see any. Not this day anyway. We made our way back to the car in the very hot conditions. Winter was late this year
Another good tip if you ever visit Yellowstone a few miles down the road is Old Faithful geyser but it can get very busy. If you are there go to the right just past the seated viewing area and sit on the edge of the path in front of Yellowstone Lodge and wait for the show to start
