Everyone who’s ever visited Yellowstone National Park has been awed by Old Faithful, the spectacular geyser that reaches heights of up to 185 feet, and faithfully erupts every hour or so around the clock. Many Utahns don’t know that we have a little geyser of our own right here in the Beehive State. While it’s not quite as magnificent as Old Faithful, it is pretty incredible. Check this out!
John Wesley Powell first wrote about this area in 1869.
Roy Luck/flickr He mentioned mineral deposits that were left by a spring which no longer flowed.
In 1935, a well was dug here to see if there was oil below ground.
Roy Luck/flickr There wasn’t, but the drilling hit a pocket of carbon dioxide underground and created a geyser. The geyser’s eruptions bring travertine deposits up to the surface, and those deposits create the rich red and orange hues that you’ll find all around the area.
Crystal Geyser is a cold-water geyser that erupts when carbon dioxide creates pressure that’s finally strong enough to push the water up through the pipe.
Superarmino/Tripadvisor If you want to see Crystal Geyser erupt, you’ll have to be very patient. Many visitors make the trek, only to be left disappointed. If you go, plan on spending some time exploring the area. The travertine deposits create a beautiful landscape unlike any other, and it’s worth your time to check it out.
Unlike Old Faithful, Crystal Geyser erupts sporadically, and the height of the eruption varies a lot.
CW K/Tripadvisor One sign that pressure is building below ground is that the area around the geyser begins to fill with water, which bubbles and broils with carbon dioxide. Picture a bottle of soda that’s been shaken up…
Some eruptions only gain a few feet in height…
vbdennis/Tripadvisor
…others can be as high as 130 feet.
Gouveia2/Wikimedia The eruptions can last anywhere from 7-45 minutes. While Crystal Geyser once erupted more regularly, and in greater heights, it may have been damaged by visitors. Some people think that they can trigger the geyser by throwing rocks down the pipe. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, the rocks may act as a plug, which keeps the geyser from erupting with as much force as it once did.
To reach Crystal Geyser, take the Green River exit off I-70.
Google Drive down the frontage road for about two miles. You’ll see a sign for the geyser, then you’ll travel another 3.5 miles to another sign. Turn right, and you’ll reach Crystal Geyser in about a half mile. If you visit Crystal Geyser, please don’t disturb the area. Do NOT throw rocks into the pipe, and clean up after yourself so that this beautiful place can be enjoyed by those who visit later.
Have you ever seen Crystal Geyser?
Roy Luck/flickr
He mentioned mineral deposits that were left by a spring which no longer flowed.
There wasn’t, but the drilling hit a pocket of carbon dioxide underground and created a geyser. The geyser’s eruptions bring travertine deposits up to the surface, and those deposits create the rich red and orange hues that you’ll find all around the area.
Superarmino/Tripadvisor
If you want to see Crystal Geyser erupt, you’ll have to be very patient. Many visitors make the trek, only to be left disappointed. If you go, plan on spending some time exploring the area. The travertine deposits create a beautiful landscape unlike any other, and it’s worth your time to check it out.
CW K/Tripadvisor
One sign that pressure is building below ground is that the area around the geyser begins to fill with water, which bubbles and broils with carbon dioxide. Picture a bottle of soda that’s been shaken up…
vbdennis/Tripadvisor
Gouveia2/Wikimedia
The eruptions can last anywhere from 7-45 minutes. While Crystal Geyser once erupted more regularly, and in greater heights, it may have been damaged by visitors. Some people think that they can trigger the geyser by throwing rocks down the pipe. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, the rocks may act as a plug, which keeps the geyser from erupting with as much force as it once did.
Drive down the frontage road for about two miles. You’ll see a sign for the geyser, then you’ll travel another 3.5 miles to another sign. Turn right, and you’ll reach Crystal Geyser in about a half mile. If you visit Crystal Geyser, please don’t disturb the area. Do NOT throw rocks into the pipe, and clean up after yourself so that this beautiful place can be enjoyed by those who visit later.
Here’s some more natural beauty in the Beehive State – a little slice of heaven in Southern Utah.
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