geysers

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‘Geyser Gazers’ patiently wait for Yellowstone eruptions

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Self-described 'geyser gazer' Ryan Maurer takes notes after the eruptions of Lion Geyser in Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone is home to two-thirds of the world’s geysers, attracting visitors from around the world. Most catch Old Faithful and may wander the boardwalks and accidentally witness other eruptions. Some look at the schedule in the visitor’s office listing the times for the six predictable regular geysers, Great Fountain, Grand, Castle, Daisy and Riverside along with Old Faithful, and plan their day in hopes of catching those in action. But a dedicated few devote weeks, and sometimes entire summers, to waiting, watching and recording eruptions. These are geyser gazers and members of the Geyser Observation and Study Association. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Geology, People, Science & Nature, Yellowstone, geyser gazers, geysers, morning glory pool, old faithful

World’s tallest geyser erupts in Yellowstone

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Steamboat Geyser erupts in Yellowstone National Park in 2005. The Norris Geyser Basin feature is the largest active geyser in the world, spewing water more than 300 feet into the air during full eruptions.

Steamboat Geyser, the tallest active geyser in the world, delighted visitors to Yellowstone National Park on Wednesday, spewing steam high into the air in a rare and powerful eruption that lasted several minutes and resulted in ongoing steam and rumbling that persisted until Thursday morning. Full eruptions of Steamboat are rare and unpredictable, and are prized by geyser gazers who wait to witness a rare column of super-heated water that can reach more than 300 feet. Eruptions can last only a few minutes, or as long as 40 minutes, with this week's outburst lasting a reported 15-20 minutes. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Geology, News, Science & Nature, geysers, Norris Geyser Basin, steamboat geyser, yellowstone geysers

A frigid winter trip through Yellowstone’s Upper Geyser Basin

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Old Faithful Inn is visible in the background as winter travelers in Yellowstone National Park head out for a trip to Black Sand Pool.

My husband Ken and I have made a point of visiting Yellowstone Park in the winter for a number of years. This year we were accompanied on a February trip by four friends from Cincinnati who had joined us on one previous winter trip several years ago, when temperatures were much warmer than normal. This year, they had expressed the desire for more winter-like conditions. It turns out they were not disappointed. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Yellowstone, geysers, old faithful, photography, skiing, winter use

Experts seek to unlock mysteries of Old Faithful, other Yellowstone geysers

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Researchers and Yellowstone National Park staff members are meeting at Old Faithful this week to review the current scientific understanding of the park's hydrothermal systems. The group will eventually develop suggestions for new research projects and design standards that could help inform and guide management of and development near Yellowstone's thermal features. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Inside the Parks, Yellowstone, geysers, old faithful, planning, thermal features, yellowstone

Yellowstone geyser predictions: Why didn’t it erupt on time?

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Geysers are a rare sight anywhere in the world, so with half the planet's geothermal features located in Yellowstone National Park, the natural wonders rank high on "must-see" lists for most first-time park visitors. Old Faithful is famous for erupting "on schedule," so shouldn’t there be a geyser schedule for the whole day posted somewhere? Sure, if geysers were truly predictable. But they’re not. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Grand Teton, Inside the Parks, geysers, old faithful, trending, yellowstone geysers

The first written description of Yellowstone geysers in 1827

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A postcard of Cliff Spring from 1928 based on a photo by Asahel Curtis. (NPS image)

By the early 1800s, trappers were scouring the Rocky Mountains for beaver. Evidence of their travel is sketchy, but we know that trapper brigades reached the Yellowstone plateau by 1826. An anonymous account of a trapper’s adventures in what is now Yellowstone National Park was published in The Philadelphia Gazette and Advertiser. Continue Reading →

Filed under: History, Just for Fun, People, Daniel T. Potts, geysers, yellowstone history

An 1880s tale of catching and cooking a fish on same line in Yellowstone

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Many Yellowstone Park tourists have described places where an angler can catch a fish and cook it in a nearby hot spring without taking it off the hook, but few report actually doing it. Henry J. Winser described performing the feat in his 1883 guide for tourists. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Geology, History, People, Science & Nature, fishing, fishing cone, geysers, thermal features

Yellowstone Geyser Report for January: Longer days make winter viewing more productive

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Old Faithful Geyser erupts on the morning of Dec. 19 as seen from the National Park Service webcam.

The geysers and other thermal features of Yellowstone National Park make up a vast, complex and dynamic collection of constantly changing natural wonders. A wide range of amateur hobbyists and professional geologists and hydrologists regularly track the activities and changes in Yellowstone’s thermal features and post their findings at various sites online. Here’s a look at thermal activity in December 2012 and January 2013. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Geology, Science & Nature, Yellowstone, geysers, giant geyser, yellowstone geysers

Making use of ‘a million billion gallons of hot water’ in Yellowstone in 1872

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A postcard by historic Yellowstone National Park photographer Frank Haynes shows Grotto Geyser as it appeared in approximately 1913. (click to enlarge)

A group of professionals and businessmen visited the geysers in 1872—long before the era of hot water heaters. The trip was chronicled by Harry Norton, who published the first Yellowstone travel guide in Virginia City in 1873. Norton called one of his companions, who owned telegraph lines between Deer Lodge and Bozeman, “Prince Telegraph.” Here’s Norton’s description of the Prince’s experiments in geyserland. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Geology, History, People, Science & Nature, adventures in yellowstone, geysers, Harry Norton, history