Yellowstone Norris Geyser Basin: Hot, Bubbly, Heaven & Hell On Earth

Norris Geyser Basin In Yellowstone National Park Blew My Mind!

I would say that my “just frickin’ neat” award for Yellowstone National Park had to go to Norris Geyser Basin. It also ended up being the most unexpected, and I almost skipped it altogether. The crazy part of that is that I camped less than 1/2 mile from it for 3 nights! That would have truly been a travesty! But on my way out of the park and heading to Grand Teton National Park, I made a “quick” 3 hour stop to check out the entire Norris Geyser Basin!

If at all possible, you’ll want to visit this, or any of the thermal features, as early in the morning as you can. The contrast of heat and cold makes for more smoke, fog, and moodiness.

Norris Geyser basin is broken into two parts. First, The Back Basin (above)—full of geysers and hot springs. Second, the Porcelain Basin (below) is full of amazing colored thermal pools. The difference between the two is actually pretty stark! In all 4 days at Yellowstone National Park, these two areas packed in the most diversity into a small footprint.

Protip: If you’re interested in the 14-hour day to end all days exploring all of the major stops in Yellowstone, Check out this guide!

Spoiler Alert: I’m not a professional photographer…but that’s kind of the point! These are all spots and pics you could take with just the phone in your pocket when you visit! 

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Travel Tips For Your Trip to Norris Geyser Basin…or Yellowstone in General

1. Dress in layers, and be ready for rain. I personally experienced fog, blue skies, torrential rain, hail, and more blue skies within a 12-hour window…in that order.
2. Plan for more drive time than you can possibly imagine. Yellowstone National Park is huge!
3. Bring snacks. Because you’ll probably want to spend more time exploring and less stopping for food.
4. Get a good map and/or guidebook. While you can get free ones in the park, they pale in comparison to a full-sized, waterproof map with great details. And this guidebook is also one I use at every US National Park I visit. Protip, if you’re going to visit the Grand Tetons National Park as well, get the combo map pack!
5. Come early and stay late! I cannot stress this one enough. The most beautiful times with the most animal activity are before 9am and after 6pm. Most people visit the park between 10am and 5pm. Do the math.
6. Wear Proper Footwear! Between slippery wooden walkways and backcountry hikes, it’s good practice to wear good high-ankle boots with traction. And if they’re waterproof, bonus: Stomping all willy-nilly through the puddles and water on the trails! (And Bear Spray!)

The Back Basin of Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

The Back Basin area of Norris Geyser Basin will have you walking through pine tree forests while surrounded by features, and occasionally opening up into stunning vistas. It’s really interesting to be walking through tunnels of pines and literally turn the corner into an almost extra-terrestrial landscape! And the geyser count here is easily as impressive as the amount at Upper Geyser Basin near Old Faithful.

You’re usually close enough to be misted by the spitting geysers. In the case of the Steamboat Geyser (below), if you’re lucky you could see the largest active geyser in the world erupt! It has seen an amazing increase in activity in recent years, so there’s a chance. 

It’s more than double the size of the Old Faithful Geyser, at over 300’, and the viewing platforms are less than 50’ from it! It’s crazy that given the fact that I had never even heard of Norris Geyser Basin or Steamboat Geyser!

I actually hunkered down with some Yellowstone “Geyser Gazers” for quite a while. There are unofficial folks that choose to spend pretty much all of their free time waiting for a geyser to blow. No, not consistently, but as an eruption is imminent, they tend to flock.

We talked about stories of missed eruptions (by moments) or the fact that this particular geyser would shoot water and sediment far enough to cover all the cars in the parking lot hundreds of yards away!

The Porcelain Basin in Norris Geyser Basin

The Porcelain Basin is wide and desolate, which allows you to take in nearly 360° views of amazing thermal features. It’s actually completely different looking than the back basin of Norris Geyser Basin. It’s like two different worlds.

Where the back basin is all about the geysers and steam vents, the Porcelain Basin is mostly about the milky white stone and unique blue waters of the thermal pools.

I was lucky enough to visit Norris Geyser Basin earlier in the morning. As usual, the best time to visit any place in a national park is before 9am; the earlier the better.

While I had many parts to myself from 8-10am, as I hit the parking lot on the way out, there were two buses dropping over 100 people off.

Also a little hindsight. On my next trip to Yellowstone, I will definitely visit Norris Geyser Basin around midnight! The park is open 24 hours and that goes for these features too.

Being all alone amongst this active, other-worldly landscape at night under the stars could be nothing less than amazing! Combine that seclusion with the fact that these are heat features, so cooler night temps would increase their visual awesomeness quite a bit!

Helpful Links, Articles & Guides for Planning Your Trip To Yellowstone

Here are area-specific details on all of these places: Norris Geyser Basin & Norris Junction, The Canyon Area/Junction, Old Faithful Geyser & Grand Prismatic Hot Springs Area, Mammoth Hot Springs Junction & Tower/Roosevelt Junction, The Ultimate Yellowstone National Park 14-Hour Day Guide.

Don’t forget to subscribe and check out other National Park videos on the Youtube channel! 

Cheers!
— Jason

About Jason Robinson

Jason is the author of “The Beginner Traveler’s Guide To Going Nomad,” as well as the voice behind the words and the eye behind the lens for The Nomad Experiment. “Planning to travel at some point” wasn’t actually getting the job done, so nearing 40 he decided to make it a priority, nomatter how scary that was. A few years later—through the pandemic and a type 1 diabetes diagnosis at age 42—now living a life of nomadic travel, he’s speaking out to encourage others of any age, or with any serious medical diagnosis, to live an unconventional life.

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