Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
from very hot blues and whites (up to 199°F) to cooler yellows and greens (144°F) and
even cooler beiges and dark browns (130°F to 80°F). Nearby
Constant Geyser
erupts
every 20 minutes or so, but blink and you'll miss the brief eruptions.
A side path leads past Hurricane Vent to
Congress Pool
, which appeared in 1891, the
year scientists convened in Yellowstone for a geologic congress. The footpath to Norris
Campground leads off beside Nuphar Lake.
BACK BASIN
Two miles of boardwalks and gentle trails snake through forested Back Basin. As you exit
the museum from Porcelain Basin, take the right-hand path into Back Basin.
Emerald
Spring
combines reflected blue light with yellow sulfur deposits to create a striking blue-
green color.
Steamboat Geyser
, the world's tallest active geyser, infrequently skyrockets up to an
awesome 400ft (over twice as high as Old Faithful). The geyser was dormant for half a
century until 1961 and quiet again for most of the 1990s, but erupted twice in 2002 and
most recently in 2005. At the time of research the geyser was splashing with frequent but
minor bursts only. For a shorter loop take the right branch just past the geyser, otherwise
continue clockwise around the basin.
Nearby yellow-and-green
Cistern Spring
is linked to Steamboat through underground
channels, and empties for a day or two following Steamboat's eruptions. The spring is
slowly drowning its surroundings in geyserite deposits.
Dramatic
Echinus Geyser
(e-
ki
-nus), the park's largest acidic geyser, erupted every
couple of hours until fairly recently, with spouts reaching up to 60ft and sometimes con-
tinuing for more than an hour, but these days it's pretty quiet. You can get closer to the ac-
tion here than at almost any of the park's other geysers, and if you sit in the grandstand,
you may well get wet during an eruption (kids love it). The water air-cools to safe temper-
atures and isn't that acidic (pH 3.5, like vinegar or lemon juice) but will harm glasses and
camera lenses. Furious bubbling signals an imminent eruption. Echinus is named for its
spiny geyserite deposits (echinoderms include sea urchins), characteristic of acidic solu-
tions.
After deposits sealed its tiny 2in-wide vent,
Porkchop Geyser
exploded in 1989, blow-
ing huge lumps of geyserite 200ft into the air. Recent rises in the ground temperature
forced the park service to reroute the boardwalk around the back of Porkchop Geyser for
safety purposes.
Nearby
Pearl Geyser
is one of the park's prettiest. Punsters love the British pronunci-
ation of
Veteran Geyser
- 'Veteran Geezer.'
Minute Geyser
is a victim of early visitor
vandalism and sadly no longer erupts every 60 seconds, despite its constant bubbling.
