Hi there!
As it goes in Yellowstone National Park, there are many hot springs to see!
Some are smaller, and some are bigger.
You can make it a walk to the Silex Spring in Yellowstone to see a colorful blue hot spring surrounded by orange.
Watch the Silex Spring video on youtube!
Walking the Fountain Paint Pot Trail to Silex Spring
You will find the Silex Spring along the Fountain Paint Pot Trail.
You will basically keep walking straight from the start of the trail and you will see it.
And, when you see a boardwalk near hot springs in Yellowstone… stay on the boardwalk! Thermal areas can be HOT and dangerous.
👆 The area around Silex Spring is a fragile thermal area.
👆 There is unstable ground and boiling water around Silex Spring.
Also, it is said that coins (and other foreign objects that make their way into thermal pools) can contaminate the thermal pools.
Silex Spring in the 50s
Weather in Yellowstone can make a difference in how the Silex Spring looks when you see it! So can the sun’s lighting on the hot spring.
You notice steam coming off of the Silex Spring in these pictures. The air temperature was on the cooler side.
For reference, my visit to the Silex Spring was in early October 2021 around 1pm. The outside temperature was in the 50s F at that time.
More below about a walk to see the Silex Spring!
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Now…
A walk to see Silex Spring
There is a stretch of road along the western side of the Yellowstone Grand Loop Road that has a number of popular thermal basins.
And it’s at the northern end of this section of road that you’ll find the Silex Spring.
So if you’re starting your day trip to Yellowstone from West Yellowstone MT and making your way to the Old Faithful geyser overlook or Grand Prismatic Spring overlook, then the Silex Spring can be along the way.
Explore the map.
You’ll see a sign for the Fountain Paint Pot, and it will be a turn off of the main road.
You’ll then drive into the parking lot.
Then you’ll get started on the trail!
Right near where the trail starts is also where you’ll find a Fountain Paint Pot trail guide that will explain to you the different thermal features (of hot springs, and more) that you can see as you are walking along. There is a suggested donation of $1 so bring cash!
And then in a few minutes you’ll come across the Celestine Pool. (Maybe you’ll see this hot spring bubbling!)
And then as you keep walking, you’ll be walking with an orange bacteria mat off to your right side.
And it’s beyond this bacteria mat that you will then see the Silex Spring!
You’ll keep walking along the boardwalk to get different angles overlooking the Silex Spring.
And then after you’ve taken in the views of Silex Spring, you can continue your walk onwards to see more thermal features near Silex Spring!
Next up you can look for the Fountain Paint Pots, the Red Spouter, and the Clepsydra Geyser!
According to the National Park Service, on the trail around here you can see a variety of thermal features including hot springs, geysers, mudpots, and fumaroles.
And that’s a bit about a walk to see a thermal pool along the Fountain Paint Pot Trail!
See more hot springs in Yellowstone:
Plan more of your trip to Yellowstone:
- How to spend one day in Yellowstone
- Grand Teton to Yellowstone
- One day in Grand Teton
- Driving through Grand Teton
HAPPY WALKING TO THE SILEX SPRING!
There are partner websites included in this post. I may earn a commission.