Sight · Yellowstone National Park
A clear blue spring that boils almost constantly, rimmed in pale sinter
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Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Yellowstone Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Yellowstone National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Yellowstone audio tourRecorded for this place
Old Faithful and Upper Geyser Basin“You're approaching the Old Faithful area, and I'd make this more than a stop for one eruption. Check the next predicted window at the Visitor Education Center before you start walking.”
Plays as you drive up to Crested Pool in the Parkwolf Yellowstone Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“First time driving through a national park. We used the Yellowstone tour on grand loop Road and it’s just like having a tour guide in your car with you.”
Guide
Crested Pool is a broad-mouthed hot spring in Upper Geyser Basin, in the Old Faithful area. Its 42-foot depth and raised rim of pale mineral deposits give the vivid blue water a distinct bowl shape. It is a good short boardwalk stop for the color and near-constant boiling; do not plan to wait for a timed eruption.
The boardwalk and viewing platform run beside the pool. From there, you can also look across the basin toward Old Faithful and Grand Geyser, so there may be more to watch than the spring itself. Stay on boardwalks and designated trails: the hydrothermal water can cause severe burns.
The water averages about 191°F and boils almost all the time, sometimes surging six feet or more. Crested Pool is still a hot spring, not a predictable geyser. Its open, wide conduit lets hot water circulate instead of trapping pressure for regular eruptions; a sudden burst can happen, but there is no schedule to wait for.
The heat limits most bacterial growth, leaving the pool unusually clear. For a photo, frame the blue water with the pale sinter rim and orange-brown runoff; the colored edge is part of what makes this pool distinctive. The blue comes through best in good light, though the spring’s activity and appearance can vary.
Wildlife
713 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
743 sightingsWolfMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
5,273 sightingsBisonMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
3,258 sightingsElkMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
397 sightingsMooseMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
1,494 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Yellowstone. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyOld Faithful to Morning Glory Pool Trail2.7 mi · 2 hr · 0.4 mi awayA level geyser walk ends at a spring changed by its visitors.
ModerateObservation Point–Solitary Geyser Loop1.9 mi · 2 hr · 0.5 mi awayA short climb trades switchbacks for Old Faithful from above.
EasyGeyser Hill Loop Trail1.2 mi · 1 hr · 0.5 mi awayCompact boardwalk loop past geysers, vivid springs, and steaming runoff.
EasyFern Cascade Loop Trail2.5 mi · 1.5 hr · 0.8 mi awayA short woods loop slips down to a hidden cascade.
ModerateHoward Eaton Trail: Old Faithful to Lone Star Geyser6.3 mi · 3 hr · 0.8 mi awayBurned hill, spruce-fir forest, and a geyser at the end.
ModerateMallard Lake Trail7 mi · 4.5 hr · 0.8 mi awayPipeline Hot Springs and a Firehole crossing lead to Mallard Lake.
EasyBlack Sand Basin Trail0.5 mi · 30 min · 0.8 mi awayShort boardwalk spurs past colorful hot springs and geysers.
EasyBiscuit Basin Trail0.6 mi · 45 min · 1.7 mi awayA short boardwalk loop through Yellowstone's blue pools and geysers.
Sight · At the trailheadCastle GeyserA castle-shaped cone, with a major eruption worth a flexible wait.
Sight · 0.1 mi awaySawmill GeyserA small geyser with a clear pool and a spinning burst.
Sight · 0.2 mi awayGrand GeyserOne to four bursts, sometimes up to 200 feet high.
Gas station · 0.2 mi awayOld Faithful Gas and Service Station - LowerUnleaded, diesel and a seasonal store in Lower Old Faithful.
Store · 0.3 mi awayOld Faithful General Store - LowerAn 1897 store for a burger and a look at its porch
Sight · 0.3 mi awayLion Geyser ComplexSeven thermal features, but Lion’s eruptions keep no schedule.
Sight · 0.3 mi awayBeauty and Chromatic PoolsTwo hot springs with water levels that move in opposite directions.
Sight · 0.3 mi awayDoublet PoolTwo clear pools, with a pulse that sometimes makes the water jump.Parkwolf’s Yellowstone ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
