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If there is one thing Yellowstone is famous for, it’s its geothermal features! The National Park is home to over 500 geysers which is more than half of the geysers in the entire world!
These geysers are for the most part located in different basins. Most of them are completely unpredictable which doesn’t really help your travel planning.
There are however 6 geysers that are predictable. These are Old Faithful, Castle, Grand, Riverside, Great Fountain and Daisy.
In this article, I’ll share with you the best geysers to visit (mainly because they are beautiful but also predictable and with a reasonable timeframe) as well as the best geyser basins so you get to see as much as possible.
1. Old Faithful
Old Faithful is the most famous geyser in Yellowstone National Park. As the name suggest, it is the most reliable geyser in the park and all the predictions are pretty accurate.
It erupts more or less every 90 minutes. The eruption lasts between 1.5 and 5 minutes and reaches a height of 106 to 184 feet.
While this is not the highest geyser in the park, it’s still a very impressive thing to see in real life!
Regardless, this is by far the most reliable geyser and something you can easily plan your trip around.
There is no need to look at the prediction too early, you can simply head to the visitor centre and look at the times. If you are too early you can walk around the Upper geyser basin.
READ MORE: 11 Travel Tips for Visiting Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park
2. Castle Geyser
Located in the Upper Geyser Basin (near Old Faithful), Castle is my favorite geyser as I think the name is so accurate. It’s a very beautiful geyser with a unique cone structure.
It is also predictable but it erupts only every 12 to 14 hours. While I admit this is not that often for visitors, the eruptions are pretty sensational as they last about 20 minutes and are followed by a 30-minute steam phase.
If you’re lucky enough (or time it right), you can visit pretty much the entire basin while it’s still going!
3. Grand Geyser
Grand Geyser is also located in the Upper Geyser Basin and erupts every 6 to 15 hours. It’s a bit harder to time your visit for this one but again, the predictions from the National Park Service are pretty good so make sure to have a look in the morning.
The eruption lasts between 9 and 12 minutes and reaches 150 to 200 feet.
4. Daisy Geyser
Daisy Geyser is, once again, located in the Upper Geyser Basin. It erupts every 2 to 4 hours, which can be easier to get to see compared to Grand or Castle. The eruptions last 3 to 5 minutes and reach a height of 75 feet.
5. Upper Geyser Basin
As you might have already gathered, the upper geyser basin is the absolute best place to see geysers in Yellowstone. No matter what, you’ll get to see Old Faithful but you’ll likely see other of the famous ones as well.
Regardless, remember that only 6 of them are predictable but there are around 200 geysers in this area so you’ll be spoiled!
It’s the most concentrated geyser basin in the world and you also get to see hot springs and mud pots in this area.
Don’t forget to go to the morning glory pool as it’s beautiful!
The boardwalk loop is about 3-mile long which should take you a couple of hours. It’s a very easy walk but there is a lot to see so you’ll be stopping a lot.
As for everywhere in Yellowstone, make sure to stick to the boardwalk as the geothermal features are incredibly dangerous.
6. Norris Geyser Basin
This one is often overlooked but I’m not too sure why, it’s my favorite basin and I find it to be worth every second of your time!
It’s the hottest and oldest thermal area in Yellowstone. There are two trails (Porcelain basin and Back basin). They are about 3-mile long altogether and both well worth it.
There are a lot of things to see in this area and the views are incredible. The colors are also pretty unique (this is due to the high temperatures) and therefore make it a great sunset spot.
It’s also home to the tallest geyser in the world at 300-feet, the Steamboat Geyser. Unfortunately this one is particularly unpredictable so you shouldn’t plan your trip around it.
Other notable geysers include Echinus, Whiligig and Constant.
7. Midway Geyser Basin
This basin is mainly famous for being home to Grand Prismatic Spring (which is one of the highlights of the national park by the way) so visitors tend to forget about the geysers but there is one particularly noticeable one, Excelsior Geyser Crater.
It’s a 300ft wide crater that constantly discharge water into the Firehole river. It’s quite an impressive sight and you can’t miss it as it’s the first thing you’ll see from the parking lot to the boardwalk.
8. West Thumb Geyser Basin
This geothermal area is a bit different compared to the others as it’s set on the shores of Yellowstone lake. The scenery is beautiful and there are a lot of stunning hot springs here.
While you can’t see as many impressive geysers here, it is a very interesting location nonetheless as it’s home to several underwater geysers that were discovered in the 90s.
I hope this article has helped you understand where to find the best geysers in Yellowstone and how to see them.
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