The Path from Old Faithful to Geysers Camp

Old Faithful Inn - 1916

In 1916, Bee Boedefeld and her friends working for Wylie Camping Company in Yellowstone National Park walked from their home camp, Geysers, to Old Faithful Inn and back. They spoke of “crossing the formation”—meaning the fragile ground between thermal features—and this past summer I found that the old path they used is the same as the one where the boardwalk is now. I took the paved Continental Divide path, which is the old road that in 1916 the horse-drawn wagons and the few automobiles used, and where the bridge crosses the Firehole River next to Castle Geyser, I joined the path my grandmother traversed.

The Continental Divide path, which was the old road

Castle Geyser (right) and little Tortoise Shell Geyser (left)
The path across the river and along the base of the hills goes off to the left.

The boardwalk follows the same path as was here in 1916.

Crossing the Firehole River, looking back toward Geyser Hill

Crossing the Firehole River, looking forward toward the road

Looking to the left over my shoulder, there's South Scalloped Spring

The path loops around some thermal features next to the forest.
This is Spasmodic Geyser, delightful in its washing-machine rhythm.

Liberty Pool

Across the way and down the path, heading toward Turban Geyser,
right next to Grand Geyser. Turban is erupting.

Belgian Pool. I wonder how it got its name?

Heading toward more geysers.

Turban Geyser

Grand Geyser is very large

Turban slows down

Some brand-new thermal features are forming next to the path in this area

Economic Geyser on the right of the trail

Wave Pool, just beyond Economic Geyser

Beauty Pool

Explanations, naturally, would not have been here in 1916!

Chromatic Pool

Looking toward the location of the Wylie Geysers camp next to Giant

Coming back to the Firehole River on the way toward Geysers

Crossing the Firehole again

Looking upstream

Looking downstream

Oblong Geyser

The path to Giant Geyser

Giant Geyser in the distance

The view toward the hill where Geysers dance pavilion sat, and the
grounds where Daisy, Splendid, Comet, etc. are

That hill is where some of the tents of Geysers Camp sat

Giant Geyser, with Mastiff steaming to our left

I notice Riverside erupting just down the river from Giant

Grotto Geyser, which was just to the side of Geysers Camp

Grotto Geyser and its indicator geyser

Riverside, still erupting

Grotto Fountain, next to Grotto Geyser

A Golden Mantel Ground Squirrel decides to race

Full speed ahead!

Squirrel wins the race!

Spa Geyser, next to Grotto

Riverside Geyser

Riverside, said in 1916 to be very
romantic by moonlight!

View toward Biscuit Basin from Riverside

Back to Grotto Geyser

One of the clearings that used to house the Geysers Camp in 1916

The woods next to Grotto where the Geysers Camp buildings sat in 1916

The view of the path going around Grotto

The path toward Giant from Grotto

A hot pool between Grotto and Giant, looking toward the Firehole River

The field and woods where the Camp would have been

View to the south and west

In 1916, Bee Boedefeld and her friends called their tent the
“Deaux Drop Inn”

This is a three-part post. Click here for the first half day that we were able to spend in the Park. Click here for the final part, after we left Old Faithful Inn the second time.