Norris Geyser Basin

From Mammoth hot springs to Norris Geyser Basin (The Grand loop) Driving time: 40 minutes, distance 21 miles

As we got to Norris, we noticed that a very strong smell of sulfur covered the area. While heading north on the designated trail towards Porcelain Basin, one of the geysers erupted and as the wind blew the steam cloud straight to us, the smell got even more intense and made us gag.

Norris Geyser Basin steams and simmers on the edge of a huge caldera – the Yellowstone volcano – one of the largest volcanoes on earth. It erupted approximately 640,000 years ago. The eruption ripped open miles of mountainous terrain leaving behind a massive caldera that stretches 45 miles from rim to rim.

This area has two geyser basins. To the south, is Back Basin with Steamboat Geyser. Steamboat is very unpredictable. It either erupts every four days or it sleeps for months or years without any activity. Due to its 300 to 400 foot high eruptions, it is the tallest geyser in the world. To the north is Porcelain Basin, which is named for the beautiful white geyserite that covers a potion of the area.

Norris Geyser Basin is one of the most diverse and unpredictable areas in the world. It has the highest recorded temperatures of any thermal site. Some of the waters here are highly acidic and very few register temperatures under the boiling point.

There is a lot of scalding water in the features and underneath, and the thin crust of earth that might appear to be solid. Staying on the designated trails and paying attention to the warning signs is very important.
Norris Geyser Basin is named after Yellowstone’s second superintendent, Philerus W. Norris. He was also responsible for constructing the first roads to the Park’s major attractions.

After our visit, we heard the news that a tourist had left the boardwalk to get closer to some of the basin’s thermal features. He slipped and fell into the hot spring.