Old Faithful Visitor Education Center

Yellowstone National Park

LoginSave

This environmentally friendly center is all about the thermal features at Yellowstone, exploring the differences between geysers, hot springs, fumaroles and mud pots, and explaining why there are no geysers in Mammoth. Kids will enjoy the hands-on Young Scientist displays, which include a working laboratory geyser. Predicted eruption times are posted for a handful of the park's most famous gushers.

Films are shown 30 minutes before and 15 minutes after an eruption of Old Faithful (the latter on Yellowstone's geysers). Rangers give 45-minute talks in the theater at 7pm.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Upper Geyser Basin

    Upper Geyser Basin

    0.37 MILES

    While Old Faithful gets the most attention, there's lots to explore in Upper Geyser Basin, which has the densest collection of geysers in Yellowstone. On…

  • Grand Prismatic Spring

    Grand Prismatic Spring

    4.6 MILES

    At 370ft wide and 121ft deep, Grand Prismatic Spring is the park’s largest and deepest hot spring. It’s also considered by many to be the most beautiful…

  • Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center

    Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center

    19.06 MILES

    This nonprofit organization offers an alternative for ‘pest’ grizzlies facing extermination and captive-born wolves that can't survive in the wild. Here…

  • Canyon Visitor Education Center

    Canyon Visitor Education Center

    25.31 MILES

    This major center is well worth a visit for its innovative and interactive displays on Yellowstone’s geology. The highlight is a room-sized relief model…

  • Artist Point

    Artist Point

    25.04 MILES

    Artist Point is probably the most famous of the canyon’s viewpoints, offering a long overview of the Lower Falls and canyon. It was not, as many people…

  • Norris Geyser Basin

    Norris Geyser Basin

    19.51 MILES

    Norris Geyser Basin comprises Porcelain Basin and Back Basin, accessed through two connecting loops. If the world's tallest geyser, Steamboat Geyser, isn…

  • Lookout Point

    Lookout Point

    24.81 MILES

    Popular Lookout Point, near Canyon Village, offers the best views of the Lower Falls. An adjacent 0.5-mile trail drops 500ft to Red Rock for even closer…

  • Inspiration Point

    Inspiration Point

    25.54 MILES

    A side road branches off North Rim Dr to reach busy Inspiration Point, which offers an overview of the length of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and a…

View more attractions

Nearby Yellowstone National Park attractions

2. Old Faithful Inn

0.13 MILES

Designed by Seattle architect Robert C Reamer and built in 1904, this is the only building in the park that looks as though it actually belongs here. The…

3. Old Faithful

0.14 MILES

Though it’s neither the tallest nor even the most predictable geyser in the park, Old Faithful is the poster child for Yellowstone and a consistent crowd…

4. Upper Geyser Basin

0.37 MILES

While Old Faithful gets the most attention, there's lots to explore in Upper Geyser Basin, which has the densest collection of geysers in Yellowstone. On…

5. Black Sand Basin

1.22 MILES

This geyser basin, 1 mile northwest of Old Faithful, has a few interesting features. The eponymous black sand is derived from weathered volcanic glass …

6. Morning Glory Pool

1.33 MILES

A steamy favorite that’s well worth the walk, beautiful Morning Glory Pool is named after its flower shape. Unfortunately, the pool is slowly changing…

7. Biscuit Basin

2.23 MILES

Two miles north of Black Sand Basin, Biscuit Basin is named for biscuit-like deposits that surrounded stunning Sapphire Pool, but these were destroyed…

8. Grand Prismatic Spring

4.6 MILES

At 370ft wide and 121ft deep, Grand Prismatic Spring is the park’s largest and deepest hot spring. It’s also considered by many to be the most beautiful…