Steamboat Geyser

Steamboat Geyser is a two-vent geyser in Norris Geyser Basin’s wooded Back Basin, and the world’s tallest active geyser. Treat a major eruption as a bonus. Its timing is unpredictable; the loop is still worth doing for the steam, smaller bursts and other thermal features.

Reach the geyser on Norris’s 1.5-mile Back Basin loop, a mix of boardwalk and bare ground. The full basin walk takes about 30 to 90 minutes, so leave time for the other springs and vents too. Parking is extremely limited, and you may have to come back later if the lot is full. Stay on the boardwalks and designated trail; the hot ground can cause severe burns.

A major eruption can send water 300 to 400 feet high. Its water phase lasts from three minutes to more than 40, then a loud steam phase can follow for hours or even days. Smaller eruptions are more common, usually reaching 6 to 40 feet and lasting a few minutes. You can still get a memorable look at Steamboat when it is steaming instead of erupting.

Steamboat and nearby Cistern Spring are connected underground. Cistern can drain during or after a major eruption. Its increased heat and discharge, first observed in the 1960s, killed nearby vegetation and built a colorful silica terrace that continues to grow.

Norris is Yellowstone’s hottest, oldest and most dynamic thermal area. It sits where major faults meet a fracture associated with the Yellowstone Caldera, and signs of hydrothermal activity here date back at least 115,000 years. The pools’ shifting greens, red-orange, pale yellow and dark tones come from minerals and heat-adapted microbes.

On a foggy morning, backlight can make the steam the best part of the photo; it depends on the weather, not an eruption schedule. You reach the geyser from the Back Basin boardwalk, not from the parking area.