Hi there!
As it goes in Yellowstone National Park, there are many geysers to see! While the most famous of them all is the Old Faithful, that’s not the only one to see.
There are many smaller geysers located throughout Yellowstone’s thermal basins.
And one such Yellowstone geyser is the Clepsydra Geyser.
But, as it also goes in Yellowstone, watching a geyser erupt is all about your timing.
So, you may or may not be able to see the Clepsydra Geyser erupt.
But, it seems that you might have a good chance of seeing a Clepsydra Geyser eruption!
Is there a Clepsydra Geyser eruption prediction?
There are eruption predictions with specific timings for a few Yellowstone geysers, but the Clepsydra Geyser is not one of the them.
But according to the National Park Service, the Clepsydra Geyser is a “nearly constant performer.”
And, I was able to see it “perform”!
In addition to seeing the Clepsydra Geyser erupt, I did also see it quiet though.
👆 A non-erupting Clepsydra Geyser.
But based on this description, it seems like you might have a good chance of seeing it erupting!
The National Park Service also says that “sometimes it quits during Fountain’s eruption,” referring to the nearby Fountain Geyser.
I did not look over at the Fountain Geyser when I saw the Clepsydra Geyser stop erupting, but maybe that was an indication that the Fountain Geyser was going to soon erupt!
So, if you do see a non-erupting Clepsydra Geyser, maybe wait around a bit to see if the Fountain Geyser will start erupting!
👆 A non-erupting Fountain Geyser that is located near Clepsydra Geyser.
Walking the Fountain Paint Pot Trail to Clepsydra Geyser
You will find the Clepsydra Geyser along the Fountain Paint Pot Trail.
And, when you see a boardwalk near geysers in Yellowstone… stay on the boardwalk! Thermal areas can be HOT and dangerous.
👆 The area around Clepsydra Geyser is a fragile thermal area.
👆 There is unstable ground and boiling water around Clepsydra Geyser.
Clepsydra Geyser in the 50s
Weather in Yellowstone can also make a difference in how the Clepsydra Geyser looks when you see it!
The amount of steam coming out of the Clepsydra Geyser can be affected by the outside temperature. When I was there, the air temperature was on the cooler side.
For reference, my visit to the Clepsydra Geyser was in early October 2021 around 1pm. The outside temperature was in the 50s F at that time.
More below about a walk to maybe see a Clepsydra Geyser eruption!
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Now…
A walk to see the Clepsydra Geyser erupting
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 Clepsydra Geyser.
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 Clepsydra Geyser 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!
The Clepsydra Geyser is a part of the loop of the trail, and you can walk the loop in either direction.
I walked the trail in a way that I saw the Clepsydra Geyser towards the end of my walk, so this is how it’s reflected below.
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 geysers and more) that you can see as you are walking along. There is a suggested donation of $1 so bring cash!
So within a few minutes of starting the trail, you’ll come across the Celestine Pool. (Maybe you’ll see it bubbling!)
And then you’ll see the orange bacteria mat as you’re walking, along with the Silex Spring.
It’s around here that you’ll also see a trail that goes off to the left, and that’s the direction you go if you want to walk directly to the Clepsydra Geyser.
I continued straight.
Then next was the Fountain Paint Pots.
Then you’ll keep walking and you can start to see the Red Spouter. There is a trail that goes around it.
And then if you keep walking onwards, you’ll start to see a large open space. That is where the Clepsydra Geyser is located.
As I continued walking, I could see a lot of steam. It turns out that was coming from the Clepsydra Geyser!
And soon the Clepsydra Geyser will be right in front of you! Hopefully it will be an erupting Clepsydra Geyser!
See this Yellowstone geyser in action: If you missed it above, watch the video of Clepsydra Geyser erupting on youtube!
Near the Clepsydra Geyser, there are also other geysers along the Fountain Paint Pot Trail:
I did not see any of the other geysers erupt when I was there, though!
And then after you have seen the Clepsydra Geyser, you can continue your way on the trail!
According to the National Park Service, on the trail around here you can see a variety of thermal features including geysers, hot springs, fumaroles, mudpots, and fumaroles.
And that’s a bit about a walk to see a geyser along the Fountain Paint Pot Trail!
See more geysers 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
GOOD LUCK SEEING THE CLEPSYDRA GEYSER ERUPTING!
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