Lone Star Geyser is one of my favorite hikes in Yellowstone National Park. I love that you can escape the busy crowds of Yellowstone, navigate it’s trail easily and admire a beautiful geyser at the end. In this hiking guide, I’m going to give you all the details about hiking to Lone Star Geyser, so you can experience its wonder too.
Yellowstone National Park was the first national park and is one of the busiest, especially in the summer. There are a few attractions that everyone needs to see if visiting for the first time, like Old Faithful and Grand Prismatic Spring. However, if you don’t want to be mixed in with the big crowds of people, visiting Lone Star Geyser is a nice way to escape.
We learned about the Lone Star Geyser hike from my friend Jody. She has been hiking in Yellowstone National Park for years. I hadn’t heard of this trail when she recommended it for our local travel guide to Yellowstone, but after hearing more details, I knew my family and I needed to go. Lone Star Geyser is off-the-beaten path, with a fairly consistent geyser, and an easy hike to get there. I was all in.
I would recommend visiting Lone Star Geyser in the middle of the day. Other areas of the park will be very busy with people and are better viewed early in the morning or later in the evening. Since Lone Star is less-known, you can enjoy its beauty at any time of the day.
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Lone Star Geyser Trail Stats
- Distance: 5.3 miles / 8.5 km – out and back
- Trail Rating: Easy
- Elevation gain: 127 ft / 39 m
- Average time: 1.5 to 2 hours
- Trail Open: Between May 8th to October 31st the road to the trailhead is open. It can also be skied in the winter.
- Geyser Eruption Schedule: Approximately every 3 hours
- Alternate Trail To Lone Star Geyser: Howard Eaton Trail
- Distance: 6.3 miles (10.1 km) – out and back
- Trail Rating: Moderate
Hiking Map – Lone Star Geyser
Here’s a map of the hiking trails that lead to Lone Star Geyser. We will go into the differences in the paths below, but you can either start at the Lone Star Geyser Trailhead or the Howard Eaton Trailhead.
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Where To Start Your Lone Star Geyser Hike
There are two trailheads you can follow to get to Lone Star Geyser. The Lone Star Geyser trailhead has the bigger parking lot and is the easier path.
The Howard Eaton Trailhead is a longer route that is hiked less often. There are plusses and minuses to both of these trails.
Lone Star Geyser Trailhead
Most visitors that hike to Lone Star Geyser start at the Lone Star Geyser Trailhead. This makes perfect sense. The parking lot is big, there’s a vault toilet, and the trail is paved most of the way.
The route is 5.3 miles long, out and back from here, but the incline is minimal making this trail easy.
Another bonus to starting at the Lone Star Geyser Trailhead is that this part of the trail is bike friendly. Biking can be a fun way for teens and tweens to enjoy the hike a little more.
Because this is the more popular way, you will find more hikers and bikers on it than the other trailhead option.
Howard Eaton Trailhead
For a more secluded hike where you will most likely not see another hiker until you get closer to Lone Star Geyser, choose the Howard Eaton Trailhead. This trail is slightly more uphill, but it isn’t steep.
We took the Howard Eaton Trailhead when we hiked to Lone Star Geyser. This was more out of necessity than desire, but it worked out great for us in the end.
We visited Yellowstone National Park to specifically hike this trail in the summer of 2023. Right after passing the turn-off to Old Faithful, we saw a large flashing sign saying that the Lone Star Geyser trailhead was closed. We were bummed.
As we kept driving and getting closer, I noticed a small parking lot. We pulled in, parked our car, and tried to figure out what to do next. After looking at the national park map and the trailhead sign, we thought we could still make it to Lone Star Geyser using this trail.
It appeared that we would have to hike a little further than we were expecting, but not by too much. It was worth a shot.
This happened to be the Howard Eaton Trailhead. The route is in fact only 1 kilometer longer than if you started from the Lone Star Geyser trailhead. It is considered moderate as there is more elevation gain.
How To get To The Trailheads
Both of the trailheads are located on the Grand Loop Road, or Highway 191, between Old Faithful and West Thumb, fairly close to Old Faithful and Upper Geyser Basin area.
From West Yellowstone, enter the park and drive towards Old Faithful. There are signs all along the way, but when you get to Madison, you will take a right.
After you pass the Old Faithful Overpass, the Howard Eaton Trailhead comes first. It is a very small dirt parking lot on the right side of the road. Honestly, I don’t remember if there was a sign or not. If you reach the Lone Star Geyser Trailhead parking lot or Kepler Cascades, you have gone too far.
The larger, more popular Lone Star Geyser trailhead is also on the right side of the road, a little ways down the road after the turn off to Old Faithful. There will be a sign for this one. It is right after the Kepler Cascades parking area.
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What To Expect Hiking To Lone Star Geyser
I can only give you my experience hiking from the Howard Eaton Trailhead, as we haven’t trekked the more popular trail from the Lone Star Geyser Trailhead. I have been told by my friend that it is flat, paved and easy to navigate. You can hike or you can bike the trail.
Near the end of the hike, there is an area to park your bike. You can’t bring your bike all the way to Lone Star Geyser.
Since we hadn’t researched hiking to Lone Star Geyser from the Howard Eaton trailhead, we weren’t quite sure what to expect. From the parking lot, we saw one small hiking trail and what looked like an old service road.
We weren’t sure which way to go, but after looking at the trailhead sign, we started out on the small hiking trail. The trail followed the trees beside the road for a short way, so we knew we were heading in the right direction.
After looking up the trail when we returned home, the old service road appears to be a cross country skiing trail loop.
The path is well maintained and passes through a forest. The trail is mostly in the trees the whole way and is a steady incline, but as you can see from the pictures, it is not steep.
Pro Tip: Wear bug spray! We were attacked by mosquitos while we were in the forest the whole way.
About 3 miles in, you meet up with the Lone Star Geyser trail and the Shoshone/Bechler river trail. From there it is only 0.3 miles to get to Lone Star Geyser.
Right around this time we saw the only other hikers on the trail heading back toward their car. We asked them if they were at Lone Star Geyser, and if they had seen it erupt. Sadly, they said it had just erupted. We were so close!
We stopped and discussed going forward. Had we come all this way and missed the eruption by only a few minutes?
Lone Star Geyser eruption schedule is fairly consistent, but it is supposed to only erupt every 3 hours or so. We knew this coming in. It is a risk you take when hiking this trail.
We decided we didn’t want to wait 3 more hours to see it erupt, but I convinced the kids and Mike to move forward anyway. We only had a short distance to left. I could at least get a picture of the geyser’s 12 foot cone base and the surrounding area.
So we continued on and quickly arrived. Right before you see Lone Star Geyser, the trees open up into a valley where the large cone base sticks out of the ground.
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Lone Star Geyser Eruption
The area around Lone Star Geyser is beautiful. The Firehole River is nearby and the geyser, even when it’s not erupting, is cool to look at.
When you arrive, you can check the registration to see when the last eruption was. It is like a guest book where people write their names, when they were there and if there was a small or a major eruption.
We explored the area around Lone Star for about 10 minutes and took some photos. Since we knew that the last eruption was only about 15 minutes earlier, we gathered our stuff, and started to hike back down the trail.
Then, right as we were leaving, there seemed to be some splashing coming from the geyser. So we waited, but didn’t get our hopes up yet.
It started small at first with a little steaming water poring over the sides, but soon enough it sprayed high into the air. We couldn’t believe it. According to the time stamps on my camera, it lasted for over 15 minutes. Luck was on our side.
My oldest signed the registration and marked the “huge eruption.”
After doing a little more research, it looks like Lone Star sometimes has smaller eruptions 15 to 20 minutes before its big eruption. I wonder if the people before us saw a smaller one and then left before the bigger one we saw. I don’t know for sure, but that is my guess on what happened.
As we headed back to our car through the forest, I jokingly asked, “See what happens when you listen to me?” It is nice when things work out!
Tips For Seeing The Geyser Erupt
Not everyone will be as lucky as we were on that warm August day with a surprise eruption. However, if I did it all again, this is what I would do to maximize the possibility of seeing the Lone Star Geyser erupt.
- Pack a lunch before hiking or biking the trail. Eat your picnic while you wait for geyser activity.
- If the geyser erupts for only a short time, wait longer. The major eruption can last up to 30 minutes.
- Bike there. You can rent bikes at Old Faithful Snow Lodge if you aren’t traveling without your own. It will take less time to arrive, you can see when the last eruption was on the register, and then return if it is too long to wait.
Yellowstone National Park Hiking Tips
When you are hiking in Yellowstone, there are a few things you need to know. There are black bears and grizzly bears that live everywhere in the park. In order to stay safe and have an enjoyable hike, follow these important hiking tips.
- Always carry bear spray with you on any hike.
- Carry the bear spray where you can easily reach it. I usually attach it to the strap of my backpack or on a belt. Never carry your bear spray inside your backpack. You will not have enough time to find it if you see a bear.
- Bear spray is easy to find around Yellowstone. Many hotels in the area will let you borrow a can. If they don’t offer that service, ask them where to buy it. It is sold in many shops in West Yellowstone, Gardiner and inside the park too.
- While you hike, it’s best to hike in a group and to make noise. Talking normally is enough. Bears and other animals will hear you and get out of your way. Most attacks happen when the bear is startled.
- Remember all animals in Yellowstone are wild. Do not approach them and don’t try to take a selfie with them. You might laugh, but people get attacked every year trying to do it.
- Keep alert and don’t wear headphones. You will want to hear if an animal is nearby.
- Wear bug spray. There were a lot of mosquitos biting us when we hiked to Lone Star Geyser.
Other Yellowstone Attractions In The Area
Before or after your hike to Lone Star Geyser, there are a few nice areas to explore nearby. Here are the top spots to visit near Lone Star.
Old Faithful
If it is your first time going to Yellowstone, you need to see Old Faithful. It is not the most interesting geyser in Yellowstone, but it is the most famous. It’s eruptions are short, but they are fairly close together.
Park in the massive Old Faithful parking lot and see when the next eruption is. The visitor center has a sign in the middle with the time of the next eruption. If it is soon, stick around to take in the show. If it’s not, there are other amazing geysers and hot springs you can walk to in the Upper Geyser Basin.
Upper Geyser Basin
The Upper Geyser Basin is stuffed full of geological sites that will keep you amazed for hours if you want. There are other not as popular geysers to witness, colorful hot springs to see, and you may even see a bison or two.
Old Faithful is located in the Upper Geyser Basin, so while you are waiting for its loyal eruption, take a walk on the boardwalk to see some more sights.
Kepler Cascades
Right next door to the Lone Star Geyser Trailhead you will find a spectacular waterfall. The Kepler Cascades is only a short walk out on a boardwalk and platform to where you can admire the powerful water flowing over of the rocks. It is a nice stop on the Grand Loop Road.
Final Thoughts On The Lone Star Geyser Hike
If you are looking to get off the normal routes tourists take in Yellowstone and discover a beautiful gem, Lone Star Geyser is a good pick. I love this hike.
It is easy enough for kids too. If the distance worries you, take the paved path and bring a stroller for when they want to rest their little legs.
My kids had no problem hiking the more moderate trail when they were 10 and 8 years old.
I hope you get as lucky as we did with the eruption too! Even without it, it’s a great hike in Yellowstone National Park.
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