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Witness the "Boiling Lake" of Prismatic Spring

Published by Spencer Spellman, Writer

Country: United States

The Experience

If you're only able to visit a single U.S. national park, then Yellowstone should be your choice. Spanning several states, this U.S. park is the oldest in the country, opening in 1872. Yellowstone is well known for its geysers and hot springs. While Old Faithful often takes the spotlight regarding the park's geysers, the Grand Prismatic Spring is the park's most notorious hot spring, located along the Midwest Geyser Basin near the Firehole River.

Prismatic Spring, in Wyoming, is the largest spring in the U.S., and third largest in the world. Only New Zealand has hot springs that are larger. It's located in the Midwest Geyser Basin, which oddly enough is smaller than many of Yellowstone's other basins. The spring is 300 fee in diameter, making it both wider and longer than a football field. The actual dimensions of the Grand Prismatic Spring put it at approximately 250 feet wide and 380 feet long, while the temperature of the boiling steam bath ranges from 147 to 188 degrees Fahrenheit.

Prismatic Spring is very pristine, and it features vibrant coloration that many springs do not have. Red, green, orange, yellow and a couple different shades of blue make up the colors of the spring and are the result of bacteria that grow around the edges of the water. It's estimated that almost 600 gallons are discharged per minute as the spring boils away.

There are two ways to view Prismatic Springs. The best view of the Yellowstone National Park hot spring is actually from the air. The best photographs of the spring have been from a helicopter or airplane. However, visitors can get within a reasonable distance of the springs from a boardwalk. The boardwalk takes visitors across the Firehole River and past the steamy riverbanks where the hot water runs off. From there, visitors walk past Excelsior Geyser, which at one time was the largest geyser in the world, but hasn't erupted in years. The boardwalk takes visitors within close proximity of the edge of Prismatic Spring, before looping back to the entrance of the foot path.

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When to Go to Prismatic Spring

Winter simply put isn't a good time to visit Grand Prismatic Spring at Yellowstone National Park. The weather is typically cold and isn't always the most comfortably for walking the boardwalk to the spring. Late spring is typically the best time to visit.

Odds n' Ends

Visiting Prismatic Spring is a good side trip while visiting the Yellowstone National Park as a whole. It's impossible to see the entire national park in a half-day or even a full day, so taking a visit to Prismatic is good for a half-day jaunt from some of the other attractions of the park.

The entrance fee into Yellowstone starts at $25 for small, non-commercial vehicles and then another $12 per person. For frequent visitors, the annual pass is a good deal at just $50. Entrance to Prismatc Spring is included in these fees.

More Experiences Nearby

Behold the Beautiful Bacteria of The Morning Glory Pool in Yellowstone National Park
There's so much to see and do in Yellowstone National Park, which is bigger than the states of Delaware or Rhode Island, that it would be easy to spend a week there and still not see it all. If you don't have a week, then some of the best experiences can be found in the Upper Geyser Basin in the southwest corner of the Park. All of the geysers, pools and wildlife make it a truly unique place to visit. One of the more popular sites in Yellowstone is the Morning Glory Pool, which sits at the end of a ...3 miles away.

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Books and DVDs

A Ranger's Guide to Yellowstone Day Hikes
Frommer's Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Park
Super Volcano: The Ticking Time Bomb Beneath Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone: Battle for Life

Elsewhere on the Web

National Parks Service - Yellowstone
Located in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, it is home to a large variety of wildlife including grizzly bears, wolves, bison, and elk. Preserved within Yellowstone National Park are Old Faithful and a collection of the world's most extraordinary geysers and hot springs, and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

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