Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Minerals like iron oxides and arsenic sulfides are responsible for much of the staining. Bright
lime-green algae love the acidity in some runoff channels, while yellow, orange, and brown
microorganisms thrive where the water is neutral or alkaline.
The amount of water in Porcelain Basin's aquifer seems to vary greatly. The water supply
was especially low in 1996, a summer when the two Norris museums and the campground
happened to be closed as a government economy measure.
Porcelain Basin below Norris Museum
Porcelain Basin's eastern loop is partly wheelchair-accessible but steep in places. An ex-
tension of the eastern loop leads toward Nuphar Lake, Porcelain Springs, and Norris Camp-
ground. Because there are few signs pointing out the named features, this is the most difficult
basin in the park in which to orient yourself. The western loop is about 0.5 mile long (0.8 km),
the eastern loop a little less.
Porcelain Basin West Loop
You might begin your tour of Porcelain Basin by taking the stairs down to follow the western
loop in a counterclockwise direction. This will bring you close to the greatest number of hy-
drothermal features.
First encountered as you bear right when the trail forks is
Black Growler Steam Vent.
One
of the highest temperatures recorded at the surface of any feature in Yellowstone was in Black
Growler's steam, once measured at 284°F (140°C).
North of Black Growler and a little farther from the walkway is Valentine Geyser, and even
farther away (and harder to see when not erupting) is Dark Cavern Geyser.
Valentine Gey-
ser
was called Alcove until one February 14 early in the 1900s, when the Norris hotel keeper
watched as large amounts of rock, mud, water, and steam were blown out, forming a huge pit.
