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 Great Fountain 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 Great Fountain Geyser erupt.
👆 And well, I didn’t get to see a Great Fountain Geyser eruption!
Watch the non-erupting Great Fountain Geyser video on youtube!
The important things to know about the Great Fountain Geyser eruption!
According to the National Park Service, about the Great Fountain Geyser:
Eruptions average 100 feet (31 m) high, with some rare “superbursts” of 200 feet (61 m) or more.
Eruptions last 45-60 minutes in a series of bursts.
Great Fountain Geyser takes 10-14 hours to rebuild to an eruption.
The pool slowly fills, then begins to overflow 70-100 minutes before the eruption.
Great Fountain Geyser eruption prediction
The Great Fountain Geyser is one of the Yellowstone geysers that the National Park Service provides an eruption prediction for.
That’s great, right?!
Well, maybe a little bit.
The eruption prediction for Great Fountain Geyser is not precise.
When reading eruption predictions, it’s important to look at the PLUS or MINUS.
The Great Fountain Geyser eruption is usually predicted at plus or minus 2 hours.
👆 Let’s take a look at this particular Great Fountain Geyser prediction as an example. And let’s ignore for a moment the part where it’s dark at that time and pretend that this is during the day.
This is saying that the geyser will erupt some time between 9:30pm and 1:30am, a 4 hour time window. If you want to watch the Great Fountain Geyser erupt, it’s obviously unrealistic to be waiting around for possibly 4 hours.
If you want a chance as seeing the Great Fountain Geyser erupt, you can increase your chances by showing up during that predicted time. But it’s also possible that you could be waiting around for an hour and not see it erupt.
It’s also important to note that you will likely not get data service in Yellowstone National Park.
So be sure to look at the Great Fountain Geyser prediction before you enter the park and take a screenshot of it on your phone.
If a near-future geyser eruption can be predicted, then there may be an updated prediction also posted near the geyser. If there’s no future eruption predicted, the prediction will be outdated or not listed at all.
When I went, the prediction posted was a time in the past.
The road that the Great Fountain Geyser is located along is a one-way road.
So if you happen to be unlucky and you notice that it has started erupting as you’re driving away, you’ll need to loop back around.
Luckily, since the eruption typically lasts for 45-60 minutes, you have a good chance of still seeing it when you do loop back around!
Or, you can park at the next pullover and walk back.
Driving through the Lower Geyser Basin along the Firehole Lake Drive to get to Great Fountain Geyser
You will find the Great Fountain Geyser along the Firehole Lake Drive.
This is an easy stop to make as you are driving along Firehole Lake Drive.
You’ll come across it as you’re driving.
You’ll see a short boardwalk for the Great Fountain Geyser that starts from the side of the road.
And, when you see a boardwalk near geysers in Yellowstone… stay on the boardwalk! Thermal areas can be HOT and dangerous.
Great Fountain Geyser in the 50s
Weather in Yellowstone can make a difference in how the Great Fountain Geyser looks when you see it!
You notice steam coming out of the geyser hole in these pictures. The air temperature was on the cooler side.
For reference, my visit to the Great Fountain Geyser was in early October around 12pm. It was in the 50s F at that time.
More below about a quick stop to see the (non-erupting) Great Fountain Geyser!
🌋
Now…
A stop to see Great Fountain Geyser
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 Great Fountain Geyser.
So if you’re starting your day trip to Yellowstone from West Yellowstone MT and making your way to the Old Faithful geyser or Grand Prismatic Spring overlook, then the Great Fountain Geyser can be along the way.
Explore the map.
You’ll see a sign for the Firehole Lake Drive, and it will be a turn off of the main road.
You’ll then drive the one-way road to see the thermal areas along Firehole Lake Drive.
First, after about 1-2 minutes of driving along the road, you’ll see your first hot spring.
Then, driving along further you’ll see a small parking area for Firehole Spring and then shortly after that a small parking area for Surprise Pool.
👆 You can see Firehole Spring on your way to Great Fountain Geyser.
👆 You can see Surprise Pool on your way to Great Fountain Geyser.
Then driving further along another minute or less, you will see a slightly larger parking area, and that’s the Great Fountain Geyser parking!
Then, you’ll head over to walk the boardwalk to take a look at the thermal area surrounding Great Fountain Geyser.
If you want to wait around a bit, there are also benches here.
And then after you’ve taken in the views around the Great Fountain Geyser, you can continue the drive along Firehole Lake Drive!
Next up is the White Dome Geyser!
And that’s a bit about a stop for a chance to see a geyser eruption along Firehole Lake Drive!
See more geysers in Yellowstone:
- White Dome Geyser
- Clepsydra Geyser (across the road from the end of Firehole Lake Drive)
- How to see Old Faithful Geyser eruption
- Solitary Geyser
Plan more of your trip to Yellowstone and beyond:
GOOD LUCK SEEING A GREAT FOUNTAIN GEYSER ERUPTION!
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