Grand Prismatic Spring
These pictures were taken along the trail to Fairy Falls in Yellowstone National Park. The trailhead is at a large metal bridge on the old freight trail about a mile south of Midway Geyser Basin, perhaps 8 miles north of Old Faithful. The falls are .9 miles north and 1.6 miles west up the trail, and Imperial Geyser is .7 miles north and west beyond that.
On this page, three similar views of Grand Prismatic Spring from the west are followed by three views of Fairy Falls from the north, then four pictures from near Imperial Geyser, and lastly one Spray Geyser picture.
Click on thumbnail or short captions if you wish to see a larger image (typically 2048x1536 pixels and .6 to .9 megabyte.)
I took these pictures of the west side of Grand Prismatic Spring from a hilltop beside the trail, as the sunlight came and went due to clouds. The usual approach to the Spring is via the boardwalk from the Midway Geyser Basin parking lot. (Cars and a white RV in the parking lot are visible in the pictures.)
A view of 197-foot-drop Fairy Falls, 1 km away
Trail from Spray Geyser to Imperial Geyser
Continual heavy runoff from Imperial Geyser keeps this creek hot. Bison have worn down the grass on the right side of the creek, and in a few places had completely worn it away, making bare round spots about 10 feet across. On the way back, we saw a large bison lounging near here.
The yellow color is either sulfer deposits or colonies of bacteria
Imperial was spouting about 8 to 10 feet high most of the time we watched it, but several times went silent for a minute or two. I have some brief videos of it, and of the mud pots nearby.
A deep hole is visible in the pool near Imperial Geyser
It was throwing water a few feet into the air as we approached, then settled down
Dead trees among regrowth after 1988 fire
The little bridges cross Fairy Creek. Steam at the left is Imperial Geyser, .7 miles away, and steam in the center is Spray Geyser. As in the previous 2 pictures, effects of the 1988 North Fork fire are still obvious.
Grand Prismatic Spring 
Grand Prismatic Spring 
Fairy Falls 
Fairy Falls, from the north 
Fairy Falls 
Imperial Geyser runoff 
Imperial Geyser 
Imperial Geyser 
Spray Geyser 
Ditto 
Facing north from Fairy Falls