Yellowstone: It's Cookin' in the Biscuit Basin

Welcome to Yellowstone National Park where its majestic mountains, colorful canyon walls, and thousands of thermal features all partner to create its natural beauty. Yellowstone is the one place in the world where you can find the greatest concentration of geysers.

In my last post, I shared a walk through the Upper Geyser Basin (Old Faithful area). In this post, I will see what’s cookin’ in the Biscuit Basin.

The Biscuit Basin is located along the Grand Loop Road about three miles north of Old Faithful. In the 1880’s, Biscuit Basin got its name from the biscuit-like formations that were found around the edges of Sapphire Pool. In 1959, an earthquake shook the area causing Sapphire Pool to begin erupting. As a result of the eruptions, most of the “biscuits” were literally “blown away”. Still, the basin is worth taking the time to walk around it.

Map of Biscuit Basin (part of the Upper Geyser Basin)

My hubby parks the car and we walk across the footbridge that crosses the Firehole River. Early fur-trappers referred to this river as the “Firehole” because of the hot geyser water that flowed into the river.

Firehole River & Biscuit Basin

The Biscuit Basin has an easy half mile loop trail. This geyser basin may be small in size but some of its thermal features make this a “must see” stop.  As always, we'll be following the boardwalk trail which provides a safe route to view the geyser basin.  

As soon as we cross the footbridge, we see several pools on our right. They are identified as Black Opal Pool, Black Diamond Pool and Wall Pool.

Located closest to the river is Black Opal Pool. It hasn’t erupted in decades but it is still an eye-catching thermal feature.   

 Black Opal Pool

Black Diamond Pool is the second pool.  In 2006, it erupted to a height of 80 feet.   Today, all is quiet.

Black Opal Pool (foreground) & Black Diamond Pool (background)

Just down the boardwalk trail is Sapphire Pool. This hot spring is considered the gem of the Biscuit Basin. It was named in the 1880’s because of its brilliant sapphire color.   

Sapphire Pool

We can’t help but notice the colorful run-off channel from Sapphire Pool. So, what makes these pretty colors? The yellow is from sulfur, the red is from iron oxide, and other bright colors are caused by algae and bacteria.

Sapphire Pool Run-Off Channel

Colors in the Biscuit Basin

At this point, the loop part of the trail begins. Most people tend to go in a clockwise direction. So, we follow the flow of foot traffic. Also, we want to get a better view of Jewel Geyser while it is erupting.

Jewel Geyser erupts every 5-10 minutes releasing bursts of water from 10-30 feet lasting a minute or so. These bursts may be repeated anywhere from one to five times during its eruption. Jewel Geyser received its name because of the pearl-like sinter beads formed around the vent. I didn’t know what “sinter” was so I checked it out on Wikipedia. Sintering is: “the process of compacting and forming a solid mass of material by heat or pressure without melting it to the point of liquefaction”. I learn something new everyday!

Jewel Geyser

Across from Jewel Geyser is Shell Spring. It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to see how this thermal feature got its name. During our visit, Shell Spring was bubbling with activity for quite awhile.

Shell Spring

We continue walking the curve in the boardwalk trail making our way to Avoca Spring.

Boardwalk Trail

Since the 1959 earthquake, Avoca Spring has become active shooting streams of water in different directions. During our visit, we see a lot of bubbling water.

Avoca Spring

Silver Globe Spring is a hot spring located immediately south (and attached to) Avoca Spring. Zygomatic Arch (named in 1887) is a sinter (there’s that word again!) arch in and over Silver Globe Spring. I have heard these types of arches are rare.

 Avoca Spring & Silver Globe Spring

Zygomatic Arch

The trail to Mystic Falls begins here near Avoca Spring. I’ll share our hike to Mystic Falls in my blog post on Yellowstone waterfalls. In the meantime, look to the left of that trail to see West Geyser. While it rarely erupts, the pool presents a uniquely shaped thermal feature. I think it looks like a weirdly shaped fish.   At times, the “tail” may be dry and white with only the imprint of it visible.

West Geyser

Putting my vivid imagination aside, we keep walking around the loop trail to Mustard Springs. There are actually two springs – East and West. Again, they were given this name for the obvious reason - the mustard colored lining of their craters. Currently, East Mustard Spring is the active geyser while West Mustard Spring is an inactive, dry spring.

East Mustard Spring

All along the boardwalk trail we can see examples of how Mother Nature is cookin’ in the Biscuit Basin.  It’s time to return to the car. Across the road are some more thermal features but we haven’t explored that area yet. It will have to wait for a future visit.

   

No matter how many time I visit Yellowstone, I never get tired of seeing its ever-changing scenery. I invite you to view my other blog posts on Yellowstone National Park by clicking on the following links:

Yellowstone: A to Z

Introduction to Yellowstone: Basic Park Highlights

Yellowstone: A Geyser Gazers Guide to the Upper Geyser Basin

Yellowstone: Touring the Black Sand Basin

Backpacking Yellowstone: Quiet Wild Moments

Yellowstone: A Ton of Fun at the Canyon
Hiking Yellowstone: Fairy Falls & Imperial Geyser
Yellowstone Scenic Drive: Firehole Canyon

Yellowstone Scenic Drive: Firehole Lake

Yellowstone: Fountain Paint Pot Nature Trail
Yellowstone: Fountain Flat Drive & Beyond

Yellowstone: Mammoth Hot Spring is Really Cool (Upper Terraces)

Yellowstone: Mammoth Hot Springs is Really Cool (Lower Terraces)
Yellowstone: Hell's Half Acre

Hiking Yellowstone: Monument Geyser Basin

Yellowstone: Mud Volcano - Stop and Smell the ... Sulfur?
Hiking Yellowstone: NW Corner - More Space; Less Crowded

Norris Geyser Basin: Back Basin - Some Like It Hot

Norris Geyser Basin: Porcelain Basin - Some Like It Hot
West Thumb Geyser Basin: Two Thumbs Up

Whatta Falls - Waterfalls in Yellowstone NP

Planning a visit to Yellowstone? Food and lodging options are available inside the park and in the towns just outside the park (West Yellowstone, Gardiner, and Cooke City/Silver Gate – all in Montana). I strongly suggest making lodging reservations in advance. Yellowstone is a popular destination and “No Vacancy” signs are common especially during the peak summer months. Since opinions, preferences, and budgets vary, I recommend checking a trusted travel source for current reviews.

My best advice is this - don’t just drive through Yellowstone – experience it!

The National Park Service has created a series of short videos titled “Inside Yellowstone”. It’s a fast and fun way to learn about the Park. Click on the following link to begin this Yellowstone experience.

Inside Yellowstone - A Series of Short Videos

Family vacations created some of my favorite memories. To start planning your memorable trip to Yellowstone, please click on the following link:

Plan Your Visit - Yellowstone National Park