If ever there was a ‘must see’ that falls into the category–“You have to see it at least once”–it’s Old Faithful. Sure, EVERYBODY does it (at least once), and seeing Old Faithful erupt is hardly a wilderness experience (chances are there will be a few hundred other people watching with you); but the old geyser is the most frequent and reliable of the big geysers in the world. It is the pulsing heart of Yellowstone, the park’s icon, and a global symbol of nature. So, of course, it’s a must see.
It would be a shame to think of Old Faithful as the only ‘must see’ in the neighborhood. There are more than 200 geysers in the Upper Geyser Basin (Old Faithful is just one of them). If time is short, a walk around Geyser Hill, which is across the Firehole River from Old Faithful, brings you close to a number of famous geysers (Beehive, Lion, Giantess) and other thermal features. Otherwise, what we here at Yellowstone Insider call the “Firehole Walk”–from Old Faithful Inn to Morning Glory Pool, passing by Grand Geyser–provides better chances to see a major geyser erupt (Daisy, Grand, Castle, Riverside, Giant, Grotto) along with the opportunity to see scores of other named thermal features.