Biscuit Basin - Yellowstone National Park

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Biscuit Basin - Yellowstone National Park

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Difficulty: Easy
Length: 0.7 miles / 1.1 km
Duration: 1 hour or less

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Overview: Biscuit Basin is part of Upper Geyser Basin.

The following information was taken from the Old Faithful Area Trail Guide, which is available at the Old Faithful visitor center.

Three miles (5 km) north of Old Faithful is Biscuit Basin, named for the unusual biscuit-like deposits that used to surround Sapphire Pool. Following the 1959 Hebgen Lake Earthquake, Sapphire erupted, and the "biscuits" were blown away; it last erupted in 1991. Sapphire remains one of the most beautiful blue pools in the park. Mustard Spring provides a bright color contrast, and Jewel Geyser adds excitement as it erupts every 7-10 minutes.

Tips: Hydrothermal features are fragile rarities of nature. Yellowstone preserves the largest collection of hydrothermal features on the planet. You have an unparalleled opportunity to view hot springs, geysers, mudpots, and fumaroles in a natural setting.

Change takes place naturally in a hydrothermal area, but people can disrupt these processes and cause irreparable damage. Rocks, sticks, and other objects thrown into a hydrothermal feature may be permanently cemented in place, choking off water circulation and ending all activity.

For the sake of all who follow, never throw objects into any feature. Stay on established walkways for your safety and to protect fragile formations that have formed over thousands of years.

It is illegal to collect any natural or cultural objects or to remove, deface, or destroy any plant, animal, or mineral in Yellowstone's hydrothermal areas. Bring drinking water; take out all trash.

While viewing or photographing the area, protect your camera, glasses, and binocular lenses from hydrothermal heat and stray.

Toxic gases exist in Yellowstone. Dangerous levels of hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide have been measured in some hydrothermal areas. If you feel sick, leave the location immediately.

Help preserve Yellowstone for the future.

Points of Interest

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Black Opal Spring

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Wall Pool

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Black Diamond Pool

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Sapphire Pool

Temperature 200-202°F Dimensions 18x30 feet. Sapphire Pool, named for its blue, crystal-clear water and for its resemblance to an Oriental sapphire, was once a placid hot pool. It was not until after the 1959 earthquake that major eruptions occurred. For several years following the earthquake powerful eruptions at two hour intervals reached 150 feet. The force of the eruptions caused the crater to double in size, destroying the biscuit-like formations around its edge, and the crystal-clear water became murky. By 1968 Sapphire ceased to function as a true geyser. Today Sapphire still retains its crystal-clear, blue water, and still violently boils and surges occasionally.

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Jewel Geyser

Temperature 199°F Interval 5-10 minutes. Duration 60-90 seconds. Height 10-30 feet. Its name is descriptive of the pearl-like sinter beads formed around the vent. Soda Geyser was the original name given by the Hayden Expedition, but turn-of-the-century visitors changed the name to Jewel Geyser. Jewel has frequent and regular eruptions. Before an eruption the vent suddenly begins to fill with water and churns to overflowing, triggering eruption. A burst or jet of water projects 15-30 feet high and collapses, followed by a quiet pause. An eruption consists of a series of one to five separate bursts. Jewel does not appear to have underground connections to other thermal features but may have some connection with Sapphire Pool.

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Shell Geyser

Temperature 200°F Interval 1.5 to several hours. Duration 20-90 seconds. Height 5-8 feet. The golden sinter lining of the crater resembles the shell of a bivalve, hence the name. Shell Geyser is very irregular and the interval between eruptions changes from year to year. Before an eruption, water in the crater begins to rise and may boil. Heavy churning then occurs, setting off the first small, weak eruption. As the eruptions subside water begins to lower and drain back into the crater. No underground connections are known to exist with other thermal features.

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Silver Globe

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Avoca Spring

Temperature 199°F Interval 1-18 minutes. Duration 10-30 seconds. Height 10-20 feet. The Hague Party in the late 1880s named this spring with a three-foot-diameter crater. It was not until after the 1959 earthquake that it became an active geyser. Since then it has been a frequent spouter. The fountain-type geyser, located on a rise above the other thermal features at Biscuit Basin, has occasional changes in interval and duration. When an eruption occurs, waterjets in several directions from a filled crater. There is a pause between bursts, but the water continues to churn. As the eruption subsides, water drains from the crater. There may be subterranean connections with the Silver Globe group.

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West Geyser

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Mustard Spring

Temperature 172-198°F Interval 5-10 minutes. Duration 5 minutes. Height 4-6 feet. Two springs, East Mustard and West Mustard springs, make up this group. The springs, separated by 50 feet, are eight to ten feet in diameter and resemble each other in shape and size. They received their name for the mustard-colored lining of their craters. Although past earthquakes have changed their status several times from geysers to springs, both have erupted. West Mustard Spring was the most active between 1961-1983. A tremor in 1983 reversed this and now East Mustard Spring is a true geyser, and West Mustard is an inactive, apparently dry, spring. The two springs have subterranean connections.