The Upper Geyser Basin

Yellowstone’s Exquisite Gallery of Geysers and Jewel-Colored Hot Springs – When visitors speak about touring through Yellowstone’s exquisite jewel-colored geysers and hot springs, they are undoubtedly speaking about the Upper Geyer Basin, the largest of the three geothermal basins in Yellowstone Park.

The Big Five – The Upper Geyser Basin’s five most popular geysers are known for their large and predictable eruptions. They include Old Faithful, Castle Geyser, Grand Geyser, Daisy Geyser, and Riverside Geyser. When enjoying the Upper Geyser Basin, for an unforgettable showing of Nature’s artwork, wear comfortable shoes, and walk along some of the five-mile wooden boardwalk that ambles around the basin’s 410 geysers, vibrantly colored mineral pools, hot springs, steam vents, and mud pots.

Sublime Colors and Clarity – Visitors who use time in their day to visit the jewel-like “painted pots” — mineral pools and hot springs – in the Upper Geyser Basin, will not be disappointed. The colors of these features are absolutely sublime, and the clarity and translucency of the water is remarkable. You’ll be amazed at how close you can get to these beautiful pools, and how rich their colors of turquoise and cobalt blue play off of the white mineral buildup surrounding the water.

Guests should remember that the “Big Five” geysers are predictable. The Visitor Centers do a great job in providing schedules of their eruptions; however, these geological features are dynamic and constantly changing, so visitors are encouraged to add a 30 minute window on either side of the scheduled time to ensure an eruption.

If you want to see as may geysers as possible, allow yourself more than one day of touring in the area, and plan just a few visits around the scheduled eruptions. This will allow you to visit the other extraordinary features around the boardwalk.

The Park Ranger Service offers an exceptional tour of the area, and it is well worth the time to learn about these extraordinary geothermal features. Visitors can also purchase an Upper Basin Trail Map that will point out each feature along the trail and provides some background geological information that explains how and why each is significant.

Bring your camera, and prepare yourself for the iconic pictures for which the Great American West is known. The sunsets at Yellowstone bring out the earth’s colors in their truest form, and you’ll be surprised how vibrant everything looks against the orange-reddish sky.