Half of the world’s geysers are in Yellowstone. There’s Old Faithful, the most famous geyser in the world, but you’ll also find more than 500 others. Check out Old Faithful—and pop into the visitor center for a multimedia lesson on geysers—and then head out along the boardwalk trails to see some of the park’s less-crowded spouters. Riverside Geyser, a cone geyser on the bank of the Firehole River in the Upper Geyser Basin, erupts for 20 minutes every 5.5 to 6.5 hours, shooting a 75-foot stream of boiling water across the river. On sunny days, you can spot a rainbow in its mist. Also in the Upper Geyser Basin, the tallest predictable geyser in the world, called Grand Geyser, erupts every seven to 15 hours, shooting water as high as 200 feet.
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Land of Fireholes
The Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park is best known for Old Faithful, one of the most regular geyser spouts in the world. This area is home to at least 26 named geysers as well as many more geothermal pools. The area has boardwalks and paved paths making it handicap accessible. During our 4 hour visit we were able to see Old Faithful spout twice, and Castle, Riverside, Grotto and Grand Geysers all spout as well. Be sure to stop in the visitors center first as they have predicted times that many of the geysers will be on display. This way you can plan your route to be sure to see those geysers you’d like to see erupt. The Firehole River runs through the center of the Upper Geyser Basin. We were able to see a family of otter swimming while we were there. There are plenty of places to shop, eat, and stay within walking distance of the basin, or you can stay in one of the many lodges in the park, as well as in towns of West Yellowstone, East Yellowstone, Gardiner, or Cooke City, all within 5 miles of the park borders. This geyser basin is a beautiful area with an almost eerie look with steam rising all about you through the hundreds of vents in the ground. A must see on any Yellowstone trip!
The world’s geysers
About 60 percent of the world’s geysers are at Yellowstone. After watching Old Faithful, take a short walk to view the Upper Geyser Basin and see 150 of the hydrothermal creations. You’ll see beautiful views like the one pictured above.
