Geyser Hill in Yellowstone National Park

Geyser Hill is a group of thermal features, including geysers, springs, and pools next to Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone's Upper Geyser Basin.

Geyser Hill in Yellowstone National Park

Geyser Hill is a must for any Yellowstone visitor. It begins at Old Faithful and is a short boardwalk loop trail with over 50 of the 500 geysers in Yellowstone. This is very impressive considering the small area it is located within the Upper Geyser Basin, which is the fourth largest geyser field in the world!

I have listed below a dozen of my favorite and most popular Geysers on Geyser Hill, which I hope will make you want to visit Yellowstone in the future!

Location - From Old Faithful Geyser, begin counterclockwise around the geyser towards the Firehole River and Observation Point. The trail begins just past the Firehole River.

Trail Distance - .6 miles

Parking - In the Old Faithful Parking Lot in the Upper Geyser Basin

Tips for a safe visit -

• Always stay on trails and boardwalks. This area has places where there is a thin, breakable crust with scalding water underneath.
• Do not attempt to get near the hydrothermal waters, as they can exceed 200 degrees and can lead to severe injuries and possibly fatal burns.
• Watch children at all times
• Do not run, push, or shove.
• Do not scratch hydrothermal mats.

You should start your trip watching Old Faithful, after all, it's the icon of Yellowstone! After enjoying Old Faithful Erupt, head to Geyser Hill, where you will run into several springs, including Blue Star Spring, Chinese Spring, and East Chinaman Spring.

You can extend your hike to the Observation Point trail to Solitary Geyser and Observation Point, which is a great place to see Old Faithful erupt from a distance.

Another fun hike is to make a larger loop trail and start counterclockwise, beginning with Castle Geyser. Shortly after Castle Geyser, turn right toward Crested Pool and Sawmill Geyser. Afterward, take another right toward Geyser Hill, eventually ending back at Old Faithful.

Yellowstone National Park Entrance Fee

Remember that Yellowstone has an entrance fee separate from camping fees.

Fountain-type geysers are the most common type and have a pool, which is often mistaken for a hot spring, as opposed to a narrow vent like a cone geyser. Water passes through the pool before the eruption, creating a fountain look as opposed to the straight-up in the air force from a cone geyser.

Great Fountain Geyser is a great example of a fountain-type geyser.

Sinter: a geyserite or siliceous sinter is a form of opaline silica that is often found as crusts or layers around geysers and hot springs (source Wikipedia)

Chinese Spring

Chinese Spring gets its name from its past history of a Chinese immigrant who did their laundry (in the 1850's) in the spring when it erupted and threw their clothes into the air.

Chinese Spring will occasionally erupt up to heights of twenty feet.

Average temperature: 197.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

Anemone Geyser

Anemone Geyser is actually two geysers within ten feet of each other. It is likely named for the flower as both vents has a pale yellow color and shape of the flower.

Eruptions typically occur every seven to twenty minutes up to six to eight feet high and lasting 25 to 45 seconds.

Average Temperature: 184.8 Degrees Fahrenheit.

Plume Geyser

Plume Geyser was created in 1922 from a steam explosion, which created its vent. Another eruption in 1972 made the vent larger.

Plume Geyser changes its eruptions, but currently, it erupts every 20 minutes or so with 3-5 quick bursts up to twenty to twenty-five feet high.

Average Temperature: 191.2 degrees Fahrenheit.

Beehive Geyser

Beehive Geyser is named because its four-foot-high silica cone is in the shape of a beehive.

Beehive Geyser is unpredictable, but it is rather impressive when it does erupt. It sends water to heights of 200 feet and lasts around five minutes!

When it becomes active, it will typically erupt 1-2 ties a day.

Average Temperature: 198.5 degrees Fahrenheit

Heart Spring

Heart Spring is named because it is shaped like a heart. I have to admit, it immediately captured my attention! It has a fifteen-foot-deep pool and is considered inactive.

Lion Geyser Group

The Lion Group has three hot springs and four geysers, including Lion Geyser, Lioness Geyser, Big Cub Geyser, and Little Cub Geyser.

The Lion Geyser was named because of the sound it makes when steam is released during eruptions. Its eruptions can reach approximately ninety to one hundred feet high and last one to seven minutes. Between eruptions, the duration can be anywhere from six hours to several days.

Lioness and Big Cub Geysers rarely erupt, but if you get lucky, they can reach heights of fifty feet.

Average Temperature: 197.8 degrees Fahrenheit.

Ear Spring

Ear Spring is named because of its shape looks like an ear.

This normally quiet spring came to life in September 2018, gathering worldwide attention as it was the first eruption since 2004 and only the fourth time in forty years.

Consider yourself lucky to see this eruption and enjoy its eruption sending water twenty to thirty feet in the air.

Aurum Geyser

When you look at Aurum Geyser, the first thing you will notice is the coloring around this cone-type geyser.

The coloring comes from the iron oxide that settles after each eruption that occurs every two and a half to seven hours.

Iron oxide gives it a gold color, which is why it is named Aurum, the Latin word for gold.

Eruptions can last up to sixty seconds to ninety seconds and reach heights of twenty to twenty-five feet.

Average Temperature: 196.7 degrees Fahrenheit

Doublet Pool

Doublet Pool is, in reality, two pools connected together. They are easily identifiable with their geyserite/siliceous sinter edge. The pools are eight to twelve feet deep and rarely erupt, with eruptions two to three feet high.

Average Temperature: 187.8 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sponge Geyser

Sponge Geyser is named because of its appearance of a sponge.

Sponge Geyser has very active eruptions reaching one to two feet high lasting up to one minute. It has similar intervals between eruptions.

Average Temperature: 199.0 degrees Fahrenheit.

Giantess Geyser

Giantess Geyser was named by Nathaniel Langford of the 1870 Washburn Expedition as it was the tallest of all the geysers they saw on their expedition.

Giantess Geyser is unpredictable and can erupt between 0-41 times a year. The impressive part is seeing this geyser come to life as it can send water 200 feet into the air!

Average temperature: 196 degrees Fahrenheit.