Minute Geyser

Minute Geyser is a small, active geyser in Norris Geyser Basin's Back Basin. Its current spout rises only about 1–3 feet above the crater, so make it a quick stop on a basin walk rather than planning around a big eruption. Its activity is irregular, with no reliable schedule.

Look for it along the Back Basin route, whose loops use boardwalks and marked trails. The descent from the Norris museum and information station into the basins is steep and uneven, and the routes mix boardwalk, pavement, and unpaved trail. Stay on designated routes because hydrothermal water can burn severely. In winter, Norris is accessible only by snowmobile.

Minute once erupted about every 60 seconds, sometimes reaching 40–50 feet. Early visitors waiting for stagecoaches tossed coins and other objects into it when the main road passed within 70 feet. Rocks clogged the larger west vent; current eruptions come irregularly from the smaller east vent. Removing the mineral-cemented rocks would require heavy equipment and severely damage the feature.

The orange, brown, and green colors around Norris's thermal features come from heat-loving microscopic organisms in cooler water; their distribution shifts with water temperature and chemistry. From the designated path, frame the orange rim around the vent and treat a spout as a bonus rather than waiting for the tall eruptions of the past.