Old Faithful Geyser

Old Faithful is a geyser in the Upper Geyser Basin, famous for eruptions that park rangers can predict. A typical eruption lasts 1½ to 5 minutes, reaches about 106 feet to more than 180 feet, and throws out 3,700 to 8,400 gallons of water. The height varies, and the show is brief, but this is one of Yellowstone’s signature stops. From the open viewing area, a wider photo keeps the pale vent and basin in the frame with the plume.

Check the next predicted window at the Visitor Education Center, the lodges, or the NPS app. It’s an estimate, not a timetable; people gather before the expected eruption, so arrive early if you want a seat. If waiting for one short show isn’t your idea of time well spent, use the interval to explore the boardwalks instead of treating the geyser as a stand-alone stop.

Boardwalks loop through Upper Geyser Basin, where at least 150 geysers sit within about one square mile. Castle, Grand, Daisy, Riverside and Old Faithful are the five major geysers regularly predicted there. The wider walk takes you past more geysers and hot springs, so I’d leave time for the basin even if you’ve already seen Old Faithful erupt.

Rain and snow seep deep underground, heat within Yellowstone’s volcanic system, then rise through cracks. Stiff, high-silica rhyolite lava flows shaped the landscape around the geyser basins, while glacial deposits beneath them store water. The area was still covered by ice about 13,000 years ago.

Bison, coyotes and ravens live around Old Faithful year-round. In winter, bison use the warm ground; in summer, yellow-bellied marmots are often seen among the rocks behind Grand Geyser and near Riverside. Hot runoff channels also support thermophiles, whose tiny food web includes black ephydrid flies.

Wheelchair-accessible paths lead from all parking areas to the geyser, with accessible connections from the Visitor Education Center to nearby thermal features. Parking is limited, especially from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Restrooms, food outlets and shops are in the developed Old Faithful area nearby, not at the geyser itself. Stay on boardwalks and designated trails: the hydrothermal water can cause severe burns.