Geyser Hill in Yellowstone National Park

Geyser Hill is a must for any Yellowstone visitor. It begins at Old Faithful and is a short boardwalk loop trail with over 50 of the 500 geysers in Yellowstone. This is very impressive considering the small area it is located within the Upper Geyser Basin, which is the fourth largest geyser field in the world!

I have listed below a dozen of my favorite and most popular Geysers on Geyser Hill, which I hope will make you want to visit Yellowstone in the future!

Location - From Old Faithful Geyser, begin counterclockwise around the geyser towards the Firehole River and Observation Point. The trail begins just past the Firehole River.

Trail Distance - .6 miles

Parking - In the Old Faithful Parking Lot in the Upper Geyser Basin

Tips for a safe visit -

Always stay on trails and boardwalks. This area has places where there is a thin, breakable crust with scalding water underneath.
Do not attempt to get near the hydrothermal waters, as they can exceed 200 degrees and can lead to severe injuries and possibly fatal burns.
Watch children at all times
Do not run, push, or shove.
Do not scratch hydrothermal mats.

You should start your trip watching Old Faithful, after all, it's the icon of Yellowstone! After enjoying Old Faithful Erupt, head to Geyser Hill, where you will run into several springs, including Blue Star Spring, Chinese Spring, and East Chinaman Spring.

You can extend your hike to the Observation Point trail to Solitary Geyser and Observation Point, which is a great place to see Old Faithful erupt from a distance.

Another fun hike is to make a larger loop trail and start counterclockwise, beginning with Castle Geyser. Shortly after Castle Geyser, turn right toward Crested Pool and Sawmill Geyser. Afterward, take another right toward Geyser Hill, eventually ending back at Old Faithful.

Remember that Yellowstone has an entrance fee separate from camping fees.

Fountain-type geysers are the most common type and have a pool, which is often mistaken for a hot spring, as opposed to a narrow vent like a cone geyser. Water passes through the pool before the eruption, creating a fountain look as opposed to the straight-up in the air force from a cone geyser.

Great Fountain Geyser is a great example of a fountain-type geyser.

Sinter: a geyserite or siliceous sinter is a form of opaline silica that is often found as crusts or layers around geysers and hot springs (source Wikipedia)

Blue Star Spring

Blue Star Spring gets its name from the shape of its blue pool surrounded by sinter. Eruptions are very rare; in fact, the last known eruption was back in 2002!

Average temperature: 190.7 degrees Fahrenheit.

Chinese Spring

Chinese Spring gets its name from its past history of a Chinese immigrant who did their laundry (in the 1850's) in the spring when it erupted and threw their clothes into the air.

Chinese Spring will occasionally erupt up to heights of twenty feet.

Average temperature: 197.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

Anemone Geyser

Anemone Geyser is actually two geysers within ten feet of each other. It is likely named for the flower as both vents has a pale yellow color and shape of the flower.

Eruptions typically occur every seven to twenty minutes up to six to eight feet high and lasting 25 to 45 seconds.

Average Temperature: 184.8 Degrees Fahrenheit.

Plume Geyser

Plume Geyser was created in 1922 from a steam explosion, which created its vent. Another eruption in 1972 made the vent larger.

Plume Geyser changes its eruptions, but currently, it erupts every 20 minutes or so with 3-5 quick bursts up to twenty to twenty-five feet high.

Average Temperature: 191.2 degrees Fahrenheit.

Beehive Geyser

Beehive Geyser is named because its four-foot-high silica cone is in the shape of a beehive.

Beehive Geyser is unpredictable, but it is rather impressive when it does erupt. It sends water to heights of 200 feet and lasts around five minutes!

When it becomes active, it will typically erupt 1-2 ties a day.

Average Temperature: 198.5 degrees Fahrenheit

Heart Spring

Heart Spring is named because it is shaped like a heart. I have to admit, it immediately captured my attention! It has a fifteen-foot-deep pool and is considered inactive.

Lion Geyser Group

The Lion Group has three hot springs and four geysers, including Lion Geyser, Lioness Geyser, Big Cub Geyser, and Little Cub Geyser.

The Lion Geyser was named because of the sound it makes when steam is released during eruptions. Its eruptions can reach approximately ninety to one hundred feet high and last one to seven minutes. Between eruptions, the duration can be anywhere from six hours to several days.

Lioness and Big Cub Geysers rarely erupt, but if you get lucky, they can reach heights of fifty feet.

Average Temperature: 197.8 degrees Fahrenheit.

Ear Spring

Ear Spring is named because of its shape looks like an ear.

This normally quiet spring came to life in September 2018, gathering worldwide attention as it was the first eruption since 2004 and only the fourth time in forty years.

Consider yourself lucky to see this eruption and enjoy its eruption sending water twenty to thirty feet in the air.

Aurum Geyser

When you look at Aurum Geyser, the first thing you will notice is the coloring around this cone-type geyser.

The coloring comes from the iron oxide that settles after each eruption that occurs every two and a half to seven hours.

Iron oxide gives it a gold color, which is why it is named Aurum, the Latin word for gold.

Eruptions can last up to sixty seconds to ninety seconds and reach heights of twenty to twenty-five feet.

Average Temperature: 196.7 degrees Fahrenheit

Doublet Pool

Doublet Pool is, in reality, two pools connected together. They are easily identifiable with their geyserite/siliceous sinter edge. The pools are eight to twelve feet deep and rarely erupt, with eruptions two to three feet high.

Average Temperature: 187.8 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sponge Geyser

Sponge Geyser is named because of its appearance of a sponge.

Sponge Geyser has very active eruptions reaching one to two feet high lasting up to one minute. It has similar intervals between eruptions.

Average Temperature: 199.0 degrees Fahrenheit.

Giantess Geyser

Giantess Geyser was named by Nathaniel Langford of the 1870 Washburn Expedition as it was the tallest of all the geysers they saw on their expedition.

Giantess Geyser is unpredictable and can erupt between 0-41 times a year. The impressive part is seeing this geyser come to life as it can send water 200 feet into the air!

Average temperature: 196 degrees Fahrenheit.

Best Yellowstone National Park Tours & Activities

Full-Day Guided Yellowstone Day Tour
⭐️ Rating: 4.9 out of 5 Stars (677+ reviews) | ⏳ Tour Length: 12 hours | 🚐🦌 Check Rates and Availability

One of the most booked and highest-reviewed full-day Yellowstone experiences, this comprehensive guided day tour covers every iconic sight in the park in a single well-organized 12-hour journey.

The tour guarantees Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring, and all the must-see highlights, with the guide staying by your side throughout, never leaving guests to figure things out on their own. A lunch is included. Recommended by 98% of travelers across nearly 700 reviews. Booked an average of 40 days in advance. Pickup is included from hotels in West Yellowstone.

Lower Loop Van Tour from West Yellowstone: Grand Prismatic and Old Faithful
⭐️ Rating: 4.9 out of 5 Stars (385+ reviews) | ⏳ Tour Length: 8 hours | 🚐🌋 Check Rates and Availability

This full-day van tour is the go-to choice for visitors who want to see the Lower Loop's greatest hits without worrying about driving, parking, or navigation. Departing from West Yellowstone at 7 AM with hotel pickup included, the day begins with an early-morning wildlife sweep through Shadow Canyon of the Madison River, where bear and elk are regularly spotted. From there the tour hits the Grand Prismatic Hot Springs overlook, Old Faithful and the historic Old Faithful Inn, West Thumb Geyser Basin on Yellowstone Lake, the bison-filled Hayden Valley, Mud Volcano, and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone at Artist Point.

Hotel pickup included from West Yellowstone. Booked an average of 30 days in advance.

6-Mile Geyser Hiking Tour in Yellowstone with Lunch
⭐️ Rating: 4.9 out of 5 Stars (93+ reviews) | ⏳ Tour Length: 6 hours | 🥾🌋
Check Rates and Availability

Most visitors to Yellowstone spend their time at Old Faithful watching the eruption from the crowded viewing area and then heading back to the parking lot. This tour goes somewhere completely different. Starting at the Daisy Geyser Trailhead and following the Firehole River through the Upper Geyser Basin, your guide takes a small group of up to 14 guests past hissing steam vents, vivid hot springs, and geysers that most park visitors walk right past without knowing what they are looking at.

The route covers 6 miles and about six hours on your feet, passing Grotto Geyser, Observation Point, Daisy Geyser, and a climb up to the Observation Point overlook above Old Faithful where reviewers consistently say the view puts the standard ground-level crowd experience to shame. One reviewer watched Old Faithful erupt twice from two completely different vantage points on the same tour. Another caught Grand Geyser erupting up close after their guide rerouted around a bison blocking the trail.

Click here to find more great Yellowstone National Park Tours.

Lodging Options in the Old Faithful Area

⭐️ 4.2 of 5 Stars - Old Faithful Inn - Click here for Rates and Availability.

The most iconic hotel in the American national park system, a National Historic Landmark and the largest log structure in the world, sitting just steps from Old Faithful geyser!

Built in 1903 from local rhyolite stone and lodge pole pine, the soaring 7-story lobby with its massive stone fireplace and hand-crafted copper and wrought iron clock is one of the most breathtaking interior spaces in any hotel anywhere. Choose from historic Old House rooms, some with shared bathrooms straight out of the early 1900s, to modern Deluxe rooms, Junior Suites, and Geyser Basin View Suites. Live music fills the lobby each evening, and the elegant Old Faithful Inn Dining Room serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with dinner reservations required. Also on site are the Bear Pit Lounge, Bear Paw Deli and Coffee Bar, & gift shop. No TVs, WiFi, or air conditioning keeps the historic magic intact. Open early May through mid-October, book up to 13 months in advance as this is the most requested lodging in Yellowstone!

⭐️ 4.2 of 5 Stars - Old Faithful Snow Lodge & Cabins - Click here for Rates and Availability.

One of only two lodges open in winter inside Yellowstone, a stunning award-winning parkitecture masterpiece with heavy timber construction, exterior log columns, and a cedar shingle roof, just a 5-minute walk from Old Faithful!

The newest full-service lodge in the park, completed in 1999 and winner of the Cody Award for Western Design, it features a cozy lobby fireplace, the elegant Obsidian Dining Room serving wild game and regional cuisine, the casual Geyser Grill, Firehole Lounge with a second fireplace, Bear Den Gift Shop and Ski Shop with cross-country ski and snowshoe rentals, free WiFi, and free parking. Rooms and cabins feature mini-fridges, coffee makers, hair dryers, and modern bathrooms, with pet friendly cabins available. In winter, heated snowcoach tours depart right from the lodge for park-wide sightseeing. Open late April through late October and mid-December through early March!

⭐️ 4.9 of 5 Stars - 1892 Inn - Click here for Rates and Availability.

West Yellowstone's most refined boutique hotel, a gorgeous adults-only mountain lodge just 1 mile from the West Entrance to Yellowstone National Park, named after the year America's first national park was established!

The 18 rooms feature gas fireplaces, premium bedding, bathrobes and slippers, dual towel warmers, flat-screen satellite TVs, mini-fridges, and walk-in showers, all wrapped in rustic-chic Montana style with cowhide chairs and western throws. A complimentary continental breakfast is served each morning, and the cozy lobby lounge with a stone fireplace is perfect for unwinding after a long day in the park. Sauna, fitness center, business center, free WiFi, and free parking included. Open year-round!

Click this link or the map below for a complete list of hotels and vacation rentals in the West Yellowstone, Montana Area.

https://www.stay22.com/embed/61f07ec196333b001540b97a

Yellowstone National Park Entrance Fee

New in 2026: Each Non-US Resident aged 16 and older visiting Yellowstone National Park must pay a $100 nonresident fee (in addition to the standard entrance fee), unless admitted with an annual or America the Beautiful Pass. This includes nonresidents entering as part of a commercial tour group, commercial use authorization (CUA) group, or concessioner tour group.

Park entrance fees are separate from camping and lodging fees.

Park Entrance Pass - $35.00 Per private vehicle (valid for 1-7 days from the date of purchase)

Park Entrance Pass - Motorcycle - $30.00 Per motorcycle (valid for 1-7 days from the date of purchase)

Park Entrance Pass - Snowmobile - $30.00 Entry for one driver and one passenger (valid for 1-7 days from the date of purchase)

Per-Person Entrance Pass - $20.00 Visitors 16 years or older who enter on foot, bicycle, or as part of an organized group not involved in a commercial tour.

Annual Park Entrance Pass - $70.00, Admits pass holder and all passengers in a non-commercial vehicle. Valid for one year from the month of purchase.

$20.00 for Non-Commercial Group (16+ persons)

$20.00 for Commercial Sedan with 1-6 seats and non-commercial groups (16+ persons) ($25.00 plus $20.00 per person)

$125.00 for Commercial Van with 7-15 seats

$200.00 for Commercial Mini-Bus with 16-25 seats

$300.00 for Commercial Motor Coach with 26+ seats

Learn more about National Park Passes for parks that have an entrance fee.

$80.00 - For the America the Beautiful/National Park Pass. The pass covers entrance fees to all US National Park Sites and over 2,000 Federal Recreation Fee Sites for an entire year and covers everyone in the car for per-vehicle sites and up to 4 adults for per-person sites.

Photo of a 2024 America The Beautiful National Park Pass that featured a winning photograph taken by photographer Paulette Donnellon at Wuptaki National Monument of a Eastern Collard Lizard.

Buy your pass at this link, and REI will donate 10% of pass proceeds to the National Forest Foundation, National Park Foundation, and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Communities.

National Park Free Entrance Days -Mark your calendars with the free entrance days the National Park Service offers for US citizens and residents.

Sulphide Spring Upper Geyser Basin Yellowstone National Park — Sulphide Spring ion Geyser Hill in Yellowstone National Park

Additional Yellowstone National Park Information

Yellowstone National Park Guide - Your complete guide to exploring the world's first National Park!
Things to do in Yellowstone - These are the top things to do that you don't want to miss, including exploring the Mammoth Hot Springs, the Museum of the National Park Ranger, Yellowstone Waterfalls, Kayaking in Yellowstone, fishing in Yellowstone, Fairy Falls Trail, and more!
Yellowstone National Park Facts - Learn more about our 1st National Park and fun facts about the wildlife in the park.
Yellowstone Wildlife Guide- Complete Guide to seeing wildlife in Yellowstone National Park, including the most popular wildlife viewing areas, including Lamar Valley and Hayden Valley.
Ultimate Yellowstone National Park Lodging Guide - This complete guide to all of Yellowstone National Park's Lodges and cabins
Ultimate Yellowstone Camping Guide - This complete guide to camping in Yellowstone includes all front country campgrounds

Depression Geyser Upper Geyser Basin Yellowstone National Park — Depression Geyser on Geyser Hill in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone Geyser Basin Areas

Upper Geyser Basin, including Biscuit Basin, Black Sand Basin, and Old Faithful Geyser.
Midway Geyser Basin, including Grand Prismatic Spring and Firehole Lake Drive.
Lower Geyser Basin, including Fountain Paint Pot Trail and Firehole Canyon Drive
Norris Geyser Basin-This basin is known for having some of the hottest water and springs in the park. It is actually two basins: Porcelain Basin and Black Basin, with famous geysers, including Ledge Geyser, Cistern Geyser, and Steamboat Geyser.
West Thumb Geyser Basin - Beautiful boardwalk trail with hydrothermal features right next to Lake Yellowstone!
Mud Volcano - The Mud Volcano area is Located south of Canyon Village and North of Lake Yellowstone. It has several hydrothermal features, including a mud volcano and Dragon's Mouth Spring.

pump Geyser in Geyser Hill in Upper Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park — Pump Geyser on Geyser Hill in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park

Additional Montana National Parks

Complete Guide to Grand Teton National Park - Your complete guide to go explore Grand Teton National Park before or after you visit Yellowstone!
Epic Guide to Glacier National Park - Complete guide to exploring Glacier National Park
Little Bighorn Battlefield - Also known as Custer's Last Stand, a place where the Plains Tribes fought their last major battle and won.
Big Hole National Battlefield - site of the pivotal battle in the Nez Perce War of 1877 between Colonel Gibbon's troops and five bands of the Nez Perce Indians led by the famous Native American Leader, Cheif Joseph.
Grant Kohr's Ranch National Historic Site - See what ranch life was like in the 1800s in Montana