Yellowstone National Park guide · 1 min read
Old Faithful and 10,000 Geothermal Features
Old Faithful Geyser sits in the Upper Geyser Basin and is likely the most famous geyser in the world.
It sends water about 150 feet into the air roughly every 90 minutes. It is one of six geysers that park rangers currently predict, which is rare in a place where thermal features shift constantly. Over the last 30 years, the gap between its eruptions has grown by only about 30 minutes.
Watching Old Faithful erupt is a Yellowstone tradition shared by visitors from around the world. You can take in the show from the Old Faithful viewing area or from the boardwalks that loop around the geyser. The visitor center posts estimated eruption times, so you can explore nearby and return for the next one.
Old Faithful is one of more than 10,000 hydrothermal features in the park, a mix of hot springs, mudpots, fumaroles and geysers. More than half of the world's active geysers are here, and a study found that at least 1,283 have erupted in Yellowstone. The Upper Geyser Basin holds the largest share, including Castle, Beehive, Grand and Giant Geysers. Grand Geyser is the tallest predictable geyser on Earth. All of these features are signs of volcanic activity still at work underground.
Boardwalks wind through the basin past hundreds of geysers and hot springs. Near the geyser, a self-guiding tour leads through the historic district and the Old Faithful Inn. Farther afield, raised boardwalks circle Grand Prismatic Spring and its neighboring pools, and Steamboat Geyser in the Norris Geyser Basin is the tallest active geyser in the world. Because thermal features change through the day and over the years, a return visit often reveals something new.
