Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
charge: geysers, hot springs,
fumaroles
(steam vents), and mud pots. At the start of the trail,
an informative Yellowstone Association pamphlet is available.
Lower Geyser Basin
Seventeen hot spring groups covering about 5 square miles (13 sq km) nestle in the valley
of Lower Geyser Basin. Not all are accessible by trail or boardwalk. The basin's most pop-
ular feature is Great Fountain Geyser, easy to reach on Firehole Lake Drive at mile 9.0/8.0.
At Great Fountain expect to see some of the world's most exciting geyser eruptions.
Near the Fountain Hotel site (see below) is the Thud Group of thermal features—in an
area closed to the public. Looking east from the road, you might see frequently erupting
Kidney Spring and Thud Spring, notable for the 1948 cleaning-out it was given by ranger
George Marler. He found an amazing hodgepodge of things in it, including a pitchfork, a
40-gallon metal drum, a tree, and a section of a 1913 guidebook!
Leather Pool provided hot water to the Fountain Hotel
(Ely Cook photo).
Historical Fountain Hotel
The Fountain Hotel, located less than one-half mile (0.8 km) from the Fountain Paint Pot
area, opened in 1891. It was an unusually elegant place for its remote location, having elec-
tric lights, steam heat, and hot spring water in the baths. It was the place where bears were
first fed hotel garbage to entertain the tourists. In 1917, when motorization of park trans-
portation made a hotel here unnecessary, Fountain Hotel was permanently closed.
Fountain Paint Pot Loop Walk*
