On The Road to the Midway, Upper and Norris Geyser Basins

Our last day at Yellowstone was all about the geysers and it was a perfect morning to see them, with clear sunny skies and cool early morning temps.

We started at the Midway Geyser Basin to see Grand Prismatic, the largest hot spring in the United States and the third largest in the world!

According to the National Park Service, the Grand Prismatic is bigger than a football field at 370 feet in diameter. Extremely hot water travels 121 feet from a crack in the Earth to reach the surface of the spring. The multicolored layers get their hues from different species of heat-loving bacteria living in the progressively cooler water around the spring.

There are several other geysers and pools along the boardwalk through the Midway Geyser Basin, culminating with a stunning view of the Firehole River.

We were just a short drive from the Upper Geyser Basin and Old Faithful, so we decided to see it again, since the weather was so much better than when we visited on Monday. Unfortunately, it was a lot more crowded than earlier in the week, most likely due to the Labor Day Holiday Weekend.

We also wanted to see Giantess, the geyser that erupted last month after being dormant for six years! Unfortunately Giantess did not perform for us, but I did capture a geyser in the Lion Group erupting in the background, unbeknownst to me as I was taking a picture of a different geyser!

A geyser in Lion Group erupting in the background!

We finished the short loop around Geyser Hill, seeing a variety of both cone geysers and fountain geysers. A quick stop at the gift shop, and we were on our way to the next stop, Norris Geyser Basin.

Norris Geyser Basin is the hottest and most changeable thermal area in Yellowstone. It sits on the intersection of three major faults and is in a very active earthquake zone!

We chose the Back Basin trail, a one and a half mile loop through a forested and more isolated area, and home to Steamboat Geyser, the world's tallest active geyser. Its major eruptions shoot water more than 300 feet! Those major eruptions, however, are unpredictable - it could be days, months or years between them. Minor eruptions of 10 to 40 feet are more frequent.

Cistern Spring is linked to Steamboat Geyser underground. As stunning as it appears, the silica-rich water of this deep blue pool has killed many of the trees around and below the spring.

Echinus Geyser is the largest acidic geyser known. Its waters are pH 3-4, almost as acidic as vinegar.

We continued along the path of sulphur-rich hot springs, geysers and other hydrothermal features in a variety of colors. The thermophiles, heat-loving microscopic organisms give them their hues. The colorless and yellow thermophiles grow in the hottest water - orange, brown and green in cooler waters..

Yellowstone is in constant change, which can be very dangerous. Each year new hot springs and geysers appear, while other become dormant. Clear pools become muddy and boil, temporarily becoming geysers. There are signs throughout the park warning of this unpredictability.

One other item of note, Norris Geyser Basin is named for Philetus Norris, the second superintendent of Yellowstone National Park from 1877 to 1882. He recorded the Norris Basin area’s hydrothermal features in detail; he also oversaw construction of the park’s first roads, including the Grand Loop Road which we drove on every day!

We were so close to Canyon Village, it was the perfect opportunity to see the spectacular Grand Canyon of Yellow Stone one more from a different vantage point - the brink of the Lower Falls!