Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park is home to the largest concentration of hot springs in the world, with more than four thousand scattered across its geothermal basins. These remarkable features are created by the interaction of heat from the underlying volcanic system, abundant groundwater, and unique underground plumbing. Unlike geysers, which erupt dramatically, hot springs release heat in a steady flow, creating colorful pools and steaming terraces that define much of Yellowstone’s unique landscape. The hot springs of Yellowstone are spread across several distinct regions, each with its own character and iconic features.

Named Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park

Hot Spring Basin / Area	Notable Hot Springs
Upper Geyser Basin (Old Faithful Area)	Morning Glory Pool Doublet Pool Heart Spring Chromatic Pool Blue Star Spring Crested Pool Ear Spring Sponge Spring Belgian Pool
Midway Geyser Basin	Grand Prismatic Spring Excelsior Crater  Turquoise Pool Opal Pool
Lower Geyser Basin	Clepsydra Pool Pink Cone Pool Firehole Lake Hot Springs Great Fountain’s Pool system Imperial Geyser Pool
Norris Geyser Basin	Whirligig Hot Springs Constant Hot Spring Green Dragon Spring Crackling Lake Porkchop Geyser Pool
West Thumb Geyser Basin (Yellowstone Lake Shoreline)	Abyss Pool Black Pool Fishing Cone Hot Spring Thumb Paint Pots  Lakeshore Geyser Pools
Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces	Minerva Terrace Canary Spring Palette Spring Cleopatra Terrace Jupiter Terrace White Elephant Back Terrace
Other Notable Hot Springs Around the Park	Punch Bowl Spring Lone Star Geyser’s hot spring pool Beryl Spring  Ojo Caliente Spring Boiling River Hot Springs

The Upper Geyser Basin, most famous for Old Faithful, is also home to a wide variety of hot springs. Morning Glory Pool is among the most photographed, with its striking blue center surrounded by vivid rings of orange and yellow formed by heat-loving microbes. Doublet Pool fascinates visitors with its rhythmic pulsing bubbles, while Chromatic Pool lives up to its name with its rainbow-like display of colors. Other notable springs in this area include Heart Spring, Blue Star Spring, and the dangerously boiling Crested Pool, each contributing to the basin’s reputation as a living canvas of geothermal beauty.

Just a short distance downstream lies the Midway Geyser Basin, where one of the park’s most iconic features can be found: the Grand Prismatic Spring. This is the largest hot spring in Yellowstone and the third largest in the world, stretching over 370 feet in diameter. Its deep blue center fades into brilliant bands of green, yellow, and red, creating a spectacle visible even from the air. Nearby lies the Excelsior Crater, once the site of a powerful geyser but now a massive hot spring that pours thousands of gallons of water into the Firehole River every minute. Smaller but equally enchanting features in this basin include Turquoise Pool and Opal Pool, each shimmering with clear mineral-rich waters.

The Lower Geyser Basin is another area where hot springs dominate the landscape. Here, visitors can encounter Clepsydra Pool and the surrounding Firehole Lake hot springs, where the waters bubble quietly amidst a field of geysers. The Imperial Geyser Pool, set in a quieter section of the basin, is surrounded by colorful bacterial mats and is often accompanied by gentle geyser eruptions nearby. This basin offers a mix of steaming pools and broad hydrothermal features that create a sense of raw energy seeping from the earth.

Norris Geyser Basin, known as the hottest and most dynamic thermal area in Yellowstone, has its own collection of remarkable hot springs. Constant Hot Spring, Whirligig, and Green Dragon Spring stand out for their unique activity and unusual coloration. Norris has long been a place of geological change, with features like Porkchop Geyser transforming into a hot spring after its violent eruption in 1989. The acidic waters and shifting thermal activity make Norris one of the most unpredictable and fascinating hot spring areas in the park.

Along the shore of Yellowstone Lake, the West Thumb Geyser Basin offers a different kind of hot spring experience. Here, pools like Abyss Pool and Black Pool appear deceptively calm, their deep blue and emerald colors concealing water that is near boiling. Fishing Cone Hot Spring, which once allowed anglers to cook fish caught from the lake in its scalding waters, lies at the water’s edge and demonstrates the unusual proximity of geothermal features to the lake itself. The springs in this basin create a remarkable contrast, with steaming vents and colorful pools framed by the backdrop of Yellowstone Lake.

Mammoth Hot Springs, in the northern part of the park, is one of the most unusual hydrothermal areas in Yellowstone. Instead of pools, this region is dominated by travertine terraces, where mineral-rich hot water deposits calcium carbonate as it flows across the landscape. Terraces like Minerva, Palette, Canary, and Jupiter form intricate steps of white, orange, and gold, resembling frozen waterfalls. Cleopatra Terrace and White Elephant Back Terrace add further variety to this constantly shifting display. Mammoth’s springs are unique in that they are influenced not only by heat but also by the presence of limestone, which is rare in other parts of Yellowstone.

Beyond the major basins, several other hot springs can be found scattered throughout the park. Punch Bowl Spring, located near the Firehole River, is a strikingly deep pool shaped like a cauldron. Beryl Spring, just off the road near the Gibbon River, is one of the hottest easily accessible hot springs in the park and produces a constant column of steam. Ojo Caliente is another isolated spring known for its high temperature and mineral deposits. One particularly interesting site was the Boiling River, where hot springs once mixed with the Gardner River to create a natural soaking spot, though it has been permanently closed to the public for safety reasons.

Together, these hot springs represent the diversity and complexity of Yellowstone’s geothermal system. They are not only visually stunning but also scientifically important, providing insight into life at extreme temperatures and the geological processes that shape our planet. Each basin tells a different story: from the dazzling colors of Grand Prismatic Spring to the travertine terraces of Mammoth and the bubbling mud-acid mixes at Norris. Collectively, Yellowstone’s hot springs form a natural wonder unmatched anywhere else in the world, a place where fire and water combine to create landscapes of extraordinary beauty.