If you like to see the geysers in Yellowstone Lower Geyser Basin is the right place. It is located between Madison and Old Faithful in Yellowstone. It is the largest geyser basin in Yellowstone which covers over 11 square miles. Most of the thermal features are widely scattered in small groups including the Firehole Lake Group, White Dome Group, Fountain Group, Grand Fountain, White Creek Group, and the Imperial Group. Lower Geyser Basin has a beautiful landscape consisting of a meadows and lodgepole pine forest, with the Firehole River flowing through.
If you have more than two days to spend in Yellowstone. You can take one day to experience the full adventure in Lower Geyser Basin and it is worth it. The many thermal features of the Lower Geyser Basin are spread out over 5 to 2 miles on both sides of the Firehole River. These can be found mostly on hills that border the flats to the east and west open meadowland.
Fountain Paint Pot Trail
Fountain Paint Pot Trail is a short walk that includes hot pools, steaming fumaroles, erupting geysers and mud pots. The area is highly active that you can see at least one geyser erupting all the time. You can walk along the boardwalk to see the Fountain Paint Pots, Red Spouter, and Morning Geyser.
It takes about half an hour to get around the trail. The parking lot is small and only a limited number of cars can be parked, Since it’s hard to find a parking space it’s recommended to start your hiking early.
Drive through Fountain Flats
Fountain Flat Drive is a 6.9 kilometer heavily trafficked point-to-point trail good for all skill levels that features a lake and stunning view point. The best time to drive through Fountain Flat Drive from May until September.
You reach the trail north to Fountain Paint Pots and on the west side of the road, drive out Fountain Flats Drive until it dead-ends. You can park your vehicle in the Midway Geyser Basin area or park halfway and hike out to Fairy Falls or Sentinel Meadows to get some amazing views of nature.
Firehole Lake Drive is a 3-mile, point-to-point trail road between the Old Faithful exit and Madison Junction. The loop to Grand Loop Road passes through several thermal and Firehole Lake. The drive features the Firehole Spring, Great Fountain Geyser, the White Dome Geyser, and the Firehole Lake.
Explore the Geyser:
There are over 283 geysers in the Lower Geyser Basin and also possess a large variety of thermal features, including mud pots, pools, springs, and fumaroles.
Great Fountain Geyser
Great Fountain Geyser is one of the biggest geysers in the Lower Geyser Basin. It erupts from a large, terraced platform exploding up to 100 to 200 feet high. It is also one of the most beautiful geysers in Yellowstone. The vent is located in the middle of a pool.
Clepsydra Geyser:
Clepsydra geyser was named for a mythical water clock. It is said that the geyser erupted with clock-like regularity. After the earthquake in 1959, it erupted almost constantly, only occasionally stopping after an eruption of nearby Fountain Geyser. The Geyser erupts up to 45 feet.
Fountain Geyser:
Fountain Geyser eruptions can reach over 75 feet every 4 to 15 hours. They are highly energetic bursts that explode in all directions. It is a fountain-type geyser located in the Firehole Lake area.
Jet Geyser:
Jet is a cone-type geyser with five vents that erupts in different directions. When Jet is active it erupts every few minutes up to 20 feet.
Morning Geyser:
Morning Geyser is a fountain-type geyser located in the Fountain Paint Pots area. It seldom erupts, but when it erupts it is one of the park’s largest geysers and largest geysers in the world. It last erupted in 2013, when active it can erupt as often as every 4 hours. Morning Geyser eruptions can reach over 150–200 feet and out 60–100 feet around its vent. It has an average temperature of 167.8°F.