The Best Geysers in Yellowstone (And How to See Them)

Did you know that Yellowstone holds roughly 60% of the world’s geysers? And that nearly 500 of them are packed into one corner of the park? Pretty incredible when you think about it, but trust me, it’s even more incredible seeing them for yourself, in person.

I’ve spent enough time in this park to have five favorites, and I want to walk you through exactly where to find them and when they erupt — because no Yellowstone trip is complete without seeing the best geysers, right? 

Before we dive in, it helps to know that Yellowstone’s geysers fall into two categories: predictable ones, where the park posts an estimated eruption window, and unpredictable ones, where you’re basically crossing your fingers. 

I’ve got a mix of both on this list, and each one deserves its place on the “Best Geysers in Yellowstone list!”

#1: Old Faithful

There’s a reason this is the geyser everyone knows by name. Old Faithful sits in the Upper Geyser Basin — the part of Yellowstone with the highest concentration of geysers in the park. My favorite thing about this one is that it erupts on a remarkably reliable schedule, roughly every 90 minutes. You can literally plan your entire trip around its schedule!

When you get to the Old Faithful area, head to the visitor center and check the posted prediction. Eruptions typically reach around 130 feet and last anywhere from a minute and a half to five minutes, so you’ve got a genuinely good show ahead of you once you’re in position.

INSIDER TIP: 
Predictions are posted as a time plus or minus a window. For Old Faithful, that’s usually plus or minus 10 minutes. So if the board says 10:30 AM, plan to be seated on a bench by 10:20 at the latest, since it can go off earlier than expected.

Plan your visit to Old Faithful

Location: Yellowstone National Park, Upper Geyser Basin, Wyoming

When It Erupts: About every 90 minutes, varying from 50 to 127 minutes between eruptions. Check the day-of prediction on the official geyser predictions page before you head over.

Nearby Must-Sees: Once you’ve seen Old Faithful, you’re steps away from several more geysers on this list. But if you want to see more of my favorite things to do in the park, check out Episode #142 of the Exploring the National Parks Podcast. 

How to Avoid the Crowds: This is the single busiest spot in the park, so arrive at least 20–30 minutes before the predicted eruption time to get a good seat. 

Make planning your trip to Yellowstone, and your excursion to see Old Faithful, even easier! Our Yellowstone itinerary times the Old Faithful area for you so you’re not standing around guessing.

#2: Castle Geyser

Castle Geyser is a short walk from Old Faithful, and it’s easily one of the most unique-looking geysers in the park. As the name suggests, it looks like a small castle, with water and steam pouring out of the top.

This one is also on a prediction schedule, erupting roughly every 13.5 hours, plus or minus 45 minutes. That’s a wide window compared to Old Faithful, but the payoff is worth it — a major eruption can reach 75 feet and can last 15 to 20 minutes!

INSIDER TIP:
Even if you miss the predicted eruption window, walk over anyway. Castle has frequent minor eruptions and near-constant steam activity, so there’s almost always something happening here even between major eruptions.

Plan your visit to Castle Geyser

Location: Yellowstone National Park, Upper Geyser Basin, Wyoming — just a short walk from Old Faithful

When It Erupts: Roughly every 13.5 hours, plus or minus 45 minutes. Check the current prediction on the official NPS geyser predictions page, or read more about Castle Geyser directly from the NPS.

Nearby Must-Sees: Castle Geyser sits right along the boardwalk that connects Old Faithful and Grand Geyser, so you can easily string a few of these together in one walk.

How to Avoid the Crowds: Because Castle’s prediction window is so wide, fewer people plan around it compared to Old Faithful, so it’s often a calmer spot to wait. But if you want the best schedule that includes all of the Upper Geyser Basin, our Yellowstone itinerary shows you how to weave Castle Geyser into your schedule. 

#3: Grand Geyser

If I had to pick just one geyser (a hard choice because I do love them all), Grand Geyser would take the cake. It’s also in the Upper Geyser Basin — just across the river from Castle via the boardwalk — and it lives up to its name. 

Eruptions typically reach around 160 feet in big, powerful bursts, and it’s noisy, dramatic, and just a lot of fun to watch.

Grand also runs longer than Old Faithful, with eruptions lasting 8 to 12 minutes, and it’s on a schedule, too — about every 6.5 hours, plus or minus 135 minutes.

INSIDER TIP:
Before Grand erupts, watch the pools of water sitting near the cone. As pressure builds, you can actually see those pools drain as the water gets pulled underground and shot skyward — it’s a front-row look at the plumbing system feeding the eruption.

Plan your visit to Grand Geyser

Location: Yellowstone National Park, Upper Geyser Basin, Wyoming

When It Erupts: About every 6.5 hours, plus or minus 135 minutes. Check the official geyser predictions page, or learn more about Grand Geyser from the NPS.

Nearby Must-Sees: Grand is an easy add-on to an Old Faithful and Castle Geyser walk. 

How to Avoid the Crowds: Grand’s window is wide, which can be tough with younger kids who don’t want to sit and wait. But if you have time, it’s genuinely worth it. 

#4: Beehive Geyser

Now we’re moving into the unpredictable geysers (the ones without a posted schedule), and Beehive Geyser tops that list. 

Beehive is also in the Upper Geyser Basin, and it is genuinely one of the most powerful things you’ll see in the park. Because it erupts through a narrow cone, the water shoots out with intense pressure and sounds almost like a jet engine, reaching 150 feet or higher for about five minutes.

There’s no schedule for Beehive. It can go anywhere from about once a day to once every two weeks.

INSIDER TIP:
There’s a trick to watching this geyser in action. Watch for the small indicator geyser right next to Beehive. Rangers keep an eye on it, and when it starts spewing water, they’ll often make an announcement over the speaker system at Old Faithful that Beehive is about to erupt. If you hear that announcement, head over right away. And if you’re watching from the boardwalk on the riverside closest to Beehive, know that you may get splashed!

Plan your visit to Beehive Geyser

Location: Yellowstone National Park, Upper Geyser Basin, Wyoming, near Old Faithful

When It Erupts: Beehive Geyser doesn’t have a fixed schedule. It can erupt anywhere from daily to once every two weeks. There’s no official prediction for Beehive, but you can read more about it from the NPS.

Nearby Must-Sees: Beehive is part of Geyser Hill, one of the most feature-dense parts of the entire park. I talk through the rest of the Old Faithful area in my Yellowstone Itinerary.

How to Avoid the Crowds: You can’t avoid crowds for an unpredictable geyser — but you can improve your odds. Plan to spend extra unstructured time in the Old Faithful area rather than rushing through.

#5: Steamboat Geyser

Steamboat is the tallest active geyser in the world. Yes…you read that right. And it’s the only one on this list not in the Old Faithful area.

You’ll find it up at Norris Geyser Basin, the hottest and oldest thermal area in the park. Norris looks and feels different from the Upper Geyser Basin. We’re talking different colors, more steam, and a general sense that everything here runs hotter.

When Steamboat does erupt, it’s massive. It regularly reaches around 300 feet, more than double the height of Old Faithful.

INSIDER TIP: Steamboat’s water is extremely acidic, and a major eruption can send acidic water and debris raining down on the parking area — enough to actually damage a car. You’ll see this called out on signage when you park at Norris. It’s a good reminder of just how intense this basin is, even when nothing is erupting.

Plan your visit to Steamboat Geyser

Location: Yellowstone National Park, Norris Geyser Basin, Wyoming

When It Erupts: This geyser is unpredictable. It’s gone as long as 50 years between eruptions, though in recent years it has erupted more frequently. When it does go, the water phase lasts about 40 minutes, followed by a steam phase that can continue for days. Learn more from the NPS and check current basin conditions on the geyser predictions page.

Nearby Must-Sees: Even without an eruption, Norris is worth the stop on its own — the Porcelain Basin and Back Basin trails show off a completely different side of Yellowstone’s geothermal activity. 

How to Avoid the Crowds: Norris gets far less foot traffic than the Old Faithful area, so simply choosing to spend time here is already a great way to get away from the busiest crowds in the park!

A Few More Geysers Worth Watching For

These geysers in Yellowstone are only just the beginning. The park itself has nearly 500, with a handful of other predicted and semi-predicted locations worth keeping in your back pocket. 

• Daisy Geyser and Riverside Geyser: Both are located in the Upper Geyser Basin, and both are on the park’s official prediction schedule alongside Old Faithful, Castle, and Grand.
• Great Fountain Geyser: Found along Firehole Lake Drive in the Lower Geyser Basin, and is also a predicted geyser.
• Lone Star Geyser: Erupts roughly every three hours. It’s not on the official prediction schedule, but it’s fairly consistent.
• The smaller geysers scattered around the Lower Geyser Basin, near Fountain Paint Pot, aren’t predicted at all, but this area is a great spot to catch multiple smaller eruptions in a short amount of time.

How to Check Geyser Predictions While You’re There

The park keeps official predictions updated for Old Faithful, Castle, Grand, Daisy, Riverside, and Great Fountain. The most reliable way to check before and during your visit is the official NPS Yellowstone geyser predictions page, which updates as each new eruption resets the clock for the next prediction. 

You’ll also find posted predictions at the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center, which is worth a stop as soon as you arrive in the area.

Where to Stay While Visiting Yellowstone

To learn more about where to stay, and which locations are my favorite, check out the full “Where Should I Stay While Visiting Yellowstone?” article. I give you a complete rundown, and you’ll even see a few locations close to the geysers!

Which of the Best Geysers in Yellowstone Will You See First?

Yellowstone’s geysers are one of the most genuinely unforgettable things you can build a trip around. However many of these five you manage to catch, take your time, stick around the boardwalks a little longer than planned, and keep your eyes open — this really is one of the best places on earth to see nature come alive!

Your Next Read: 12 Things You Can’t Miss On Your First Visit to Yellowstone. If you want more on avoiding crowds and finding hidden gems throughout the rest of the park, add this article to your reading list. 

Are you hoping to visit all of the national parks? Sign up for your FREE NATIONAL PARKS CHECKLIST so you can easily see where you’ve been and where you still need to go!