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It was late afternoon and people were milling about, some wading out into the Firehole
River. The sign at the front said that it was a bear frequented area, but we had our
bear spray with us so we weren't too concerned.
People wading in the Firehole River
From the crowded trailhead, we crossed the bridge and started onto the boardwalks
through the thermal features of Biscuit Basin. The boardwalk contains a loop, and we
randomly took the right fork on the way in. We passed through the warm steam of a
pool, then reached the other side of the loop, turning right to head toward
Mystic Falls.
Biscuit Basin
This flows straight into the Firehole River
Leaving the boardwalks, we left the crowds behind, as well. The trail climbs gradually
upstream through the forest, roughly parallel to Little Firehole River. At first the
river is
out of sight to the left, but after turning left toward the falls (instead of right toward the
overlook), the river is clearly visible.
Little Firehole River
Despite the warning sign at the start of the hike, we didn't see anyone else carrying bear spray,
and a few were hiking solo (groups of 3 or more are recommended in bear country). However, even
though most people stuck to the boardwalk, the trail here was still fairly well-traveled, so
the chances of seeing a bear seemed somewhat diminished.
Soon we saw the falls ahead of us. We found a spot to stop and enjoy the falls from below.
For those of you with a bit more time, you can make it a loop by continuing past the falls
to the right, adding about another mile but enjoying nice views.
Mystic Falls
It was already late afternoon, though, so we simply turned around at this point. Once we got
back to the boardwalks, we took the right fork to see the part of the boardwalk loop we'd
missed on the way in. We walked past the Sapphire Pool, then soon crossed the bridge back to
the parking lot.
Sapphire Pool
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