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 Ton of Fun at the Canyon
Hiking Yellowstone: Fairy Falls & Imperial Geyser
Yellowstone Scenic Drive: Firehole Canyon
Hiking Yellowstone: Fairy Falls & Imperial Geyser
Yellowstone Scenic Drive: Firehole Canyon
Yellowstone: Mud Volcano - Stop and Smell the ... Sulfur?
Hiking Yellowstone: NW Corner - More Space; Less Crowded
Hiking Yellowstone: NW Corner - More Space; Less Crowded
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.
Family vacations created some of my favorite memories. To start
planning your memorable trip to Yellowstone, please click on the
following link:
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