Like many stops along the Grand Loop in Yellowstone, you can treat Grand Prismatic the same; pull into the parking lot, follow the boardwalk and marvel at its beauty. But if you want to really experience Grand Prismatic in the best ways, follow these tips in my guide to visiting Grand Prismatic. I’ll tell you why Grand Prismatic is not the same as all the other Yellowstone stops.
Grand Prismatic Hot Spring is one of the most popular attractions in Yellowstone National Park. There are many reasons why too. It is huge. It is colorful. It is beautiful.
Like all of the best things to do anywhere, it brings crowds of people too. Below I will give you tips on the best ways to see Grand Prismatic and the best time to visit it. Keep reading to find out all the important details.
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Where Is Grand Prismatic Spring?
Grand Prismatic is located on the Grand Loop in Yellowstone. If you are unfamiliar with how Yellowstone is laid out, there is one large loop that the majority of the visitors stick too. Along the route, there are roads that jut off that lead you to the other entrances in the park.
There is a southern road that directs you to the Grand Tetons, a road leading north that takes you to Mammoth Hot Springs, one that directs you to Cody, Wyoming, a northern road that follows the Lamar Valley and guides you to the Beartooth Highway, and the western road that leads you to West Yellowstone.
The Grand Loop has so many popular attractions that it makes sense that most visitors gather there. I’ve driven the Grand Loop many times myself.
Grand Prismatic is in the Midway Geyser Basin area of the park between Old Faithful and Madison. The geyser basin area is stuffed full of colorful hot springs and bubbling, spraying geysers.
When To Visit Grand Prismatic Spring
If you are in Yellowstone National Park in the peak season, summer months, Grand Prismatic will almost always be busy. I would normally advise you to make a stop at Grand Prismatic early in the morning. Lots of visitors like to sleep in on vacation and the parking lot doesn’t start filling up until late morning.
While this is a great time to visit Grand Prismatic Hot Spring, there is one other time that is even better. One thing to know about this hot spring is that well…it’s very hot! If you go in the morning, the temperature outside will be on the cooler side. Even in the summer, the evenings in Yellowstone cool down.
Because Grand Prismatic is so hot, if you visit the boardwalk in the cool morning, there will be more steam coming off of the hot spring than when it warms up outside. The boardwalk is not raised, so the steam makes it hard to see the brilliant colors that make it famous.
If you visit Grand Prismatic in the heat of the middle of the day, however, you will be greeted with extremely long lines to even enter the parking lot. The parking space is just too small for the amount of cars that visit Grand Prismatic each year.
So when is the best time to visit Grand Prismatic? In the evening before sunset. Around 5 or 6 pm, the crowds start thinning, the temperatures are still warm, and you will find a parking space! The sun doesn’t set until late in the summer, so there’s still plenty of time to enjoy this beautiful sight.
Pro Tip: If you can visit Yellowstone National Park during the shoulder season, April-May & September-October, you will find a much calmer national park where you can visit Grand Prismatic at any time of the day.
Find out my favorite month to visit Yellowstone here: The Best and Worst Times To Visit Yellowstone
Best Ways To See Grand Prismatic
The most common way to see Grand Prismatic is the way I’ve been describing above; however, if you want to see the colorful hot spring from above, you need to take a different route.
I personally like the view from above best if you have to choose only one way to see Grand Prismatic, but it is worth it to stop at both spots.
The Boardwalk
Right off the main road, there is a parking lot where you can park your car and walk the boardwalk that lines the hot spring. The boardwalk is where you can get up close and personal with Grand Prismatic.
The best way to approach this parking area is by driving from Madison towards Old Faithful and taking a right turn into the parking lot, if you are visiting during the height of the day. Why? The line of traffic is only accessible from this direction.
If you are smart and visiting in the morning or early evening, you should be able to enter from both directions.
After you park your car you will cross a bridge to reach the hot spring area. There are a couple of other geothermal features in this area that you get to see as well, Opal Pool and Excelsior Geyser.
At the very end of the boardwalk loop is the largest hot spring, Grand Prismatic Pool. The boardwalk only lines one side of Grand Prismatic. It doesn’t loop around the whole spring.
Honestly, it is nice to see Grand Prismatic from the boardwalk, but it is really hard to grasp the grandeur of it from this area. In order to get those aerial views, head to the next place to view Grand Prismatic.
Grand Prismatic Viewpoint
My favorite way to see Grand Prismatic Hot Spring is from the viewpoint. Instead of parking at the Grand Prismatic parking lot, drive a little further and park at the Fairy Falls Trailhead.
Take the wide, dirt trail towards Fairy Falls. After a little while you will reach a turn off to the left. This is the only part of the trail that is uphill.
Climb a short ways until you reach the viewpoint.
The trail is very easy and is only 0.6 miles (1 km) to reach the viewpoint, 1.2 miles (2 km) round trip. As you can see our kids were quite young when they did this hike.
This viewpoint is well known, so it is best hiked in the morning or early evening if you want to avoid the crowds.
Important: One thing to note is that in the spring when the bears are coming out of hibernation it is very common for the trailhead to Fairy Falls to be closed due to bear activity in the area. There is nothing you can do about this, but something to be aware of.
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Summing up The Best Ways To See Grand Prismatic
I hope you found this guide to visiting Grand Prismatic useful for your trip to Yellowstone National Park. As one of the most beautiful hot spring in Yellowstone, it is easy to get lost in the crowds of visitors. With a little planning you can enjoy this natural marvel without hordes of people.
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