Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Jewel Geyser's name comes from the shiny sinter beads around its vent.
Two more very active geysers are located near the Biscuit Basin parking area. Out on an
island in the Firehole River to the south is Island Geyser, which erupts most of the time. Near
the road is Rusty Geyser, with an iron-oxide- stained crater.
Continuing on the Grand Loop Road 13.9/3.1 Firehole River Bridge.
14.0/3.0 There's limited parking along the road for access to trails. A bicycle and hiking
trail southeast leads to Old Faithful and passes near Daisy Geyser. A trail to the west joins the
Mystic Falls Trail described earlier.
14.4/2.6 Through the trees you may notice a red-orange stained area partway up the hill to
the west. This is Hillside Springs, a nearly inaccessible thermal feature. Old-time stagecoach
drivers called it Tomato Soup Springs.
15.4/1.6 Black Sand Basin side road southwest (right) to a large parking area. You can see all
the features in this geyser basin by walking less than a mile (1.6 km). The basin is now best
known for Emerald Pool at its south end. The lovely Iron Spring Creek meanders through on
its way north to join the Firehole River. There's not a lot of iron in the creek, but there is a large
amount of reddish brown algae, due to the creek's thermal warming.
The black sand here is composed of grains of hyaloclastite, a type of rhyolitic volcanic glass
that formed when lava flowed into water or ice (such as into a lake), cooled extremely quickly,
and shattered into tiny fragments.
Black Sand Basin Walk*
NOTE: This hot spring area is accessible to wheelchairs, but has no curb cut. See the map on page 83 .
If you take the sidewalk a short distance back along the entrance road, you'll see a couple
of spouters, appropriately named The Grumbler (splashing angrily below the sidewalk) and
Spouter Geyser. Spouter's runoff has fed the double ob-long of Opalescent Pool, long a pop-
ular subject for color photographers. When Spouter is not very active, Opalescent Pool be-
comes smaller and less colorful.
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