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| | | Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook and Fairy Fall, WY | | | |
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Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook and Fairy Fall, WY
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| Hiking | 5.62 Miles |
355 AEG |
| | Hiking | 5.62 Miles | 2 Hrs 43 Mns | | 2.81 mph |
| 355 ft AEG | 43 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | The Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world. The temperature is approximately 190° at the center. It was named for the vivid colors within the water, as it contains red, orange, yellow, green, and blue (the colors seen when light is refracted by a prism). The deep blue color in the middle is the natural color of the water, enhanced by its depth (160 feet deep) and lack of life due to the hot temperature. The other colors around the edges are due to the collections of microbes that thrive in varying degrees of heat at the edge, which ranges from 130° at the outer edge to 165° further in, and is the maximum temperature at which certain microbes can survive.
Hundreds to thousands of tourists visit the Grand Prismatic Spring each day, and walk along the boardwalk to marvel at the colors and the intense heat. Up close, it's impossible to take it all in. But there's a trail that passes behind it and climbs up to an overlook that allows people to view the Spring without the crowds.
We began at the trailhead and checked out a smaller but beautiful unnamed hot spring near the parking lot. Then we walked along the flat, packed dirt trail 1 mile to the short uphill to the overlook. There were about 10 people at the overlook. We observed the Grand Prismatic Spring, the other large hot spring behind it (Excelsior Geyser Crater), and the 160 people who were traversing the narrow boardwalk that passes along these two features.
We then proceeded downhill from the overlook and continued North to the Fairy Falls trail, where we headed east along this flat, easy trail to Fairy Falls, a 200 foot high waterfall. The water was chilly but clear and felt good. We had some snacks and returned to the car. At this point, there were over 100 people heading in the direction of the overlook.
We then went to the Grand Prismatic Spring boardwalk to check it out from up close. The boardwalk is very narrow and packed with people, which makes it difficult to take good photos. It is illegal to walk on the ground there, which is fragile, easily damaged, and at risk of collapsing. The wind was ferocious, due the the hot air rising from the spring and causing low pressure zones. Numerous people had their hats blowing off, and creative methods were used to retrieve the hats without stepping off the boardwalk. We made our way along the boardwalk, experienced the unique environment of this massive hot spring, and then left for our next adventure. |
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Route Editor
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The spring discharges an estimated 560 gallons per minute, has a temperature of 147-188°F. I guess you can see it above the hill but we didn't realize that at the time... and with the breeze blowing, today would have been a good time for that.
