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Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park, WY

Photo: Carsten Steger, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sports & OutdoorsIconicOutdoor Adventure

Grand Prismatic Spring

Follow the boardwalk past Yellowstone's largest hot spring, a deep blue pool ringed in orange and yellow.

Midway Geyser Basin · Yellowstone National Park, WY

About Grand Prismatic Spring

Grand Prismatic Spring is Yellowstone's largest hot spring, 200 to 330 feet across and more than 121 feet deep, set in Midway Geyser Basin. The center is deep blue, and the bands of yellow, orange, brown and green around it are masses of heat-loving microorganisms called thermophiles, each color growing at a different water temperature. You see it from a boardwalk, and you must stay on it because the water can cause severe burns. Parking at the basin is limited.

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  • #yellowstone
  • #boardwalk
  • #geyser basin
  • #national park

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What's around here?

The closest stops to Grand Prismatic Spring, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Old Faithful

    $25–$50

    Watch Yellowstone's signature geyser shoot water more than 100 feet high from the surrounding boardwalks.

    4.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Museums

    Norris Geyser Basin Museum

    Check prices

    A historic 1930 trailside museum on a ridge above Norris Geyser Basin, staffed by rangers in summer.

    15 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Attractions
    Family Favorite

    Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center

    Under $25

    Nonprofit wildlife park near Yellowstone's west entrance, home to rescued grizzly bears, gray wolves and other native species.

    16 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Sports & Outdoors
    History Buff

    Nez Perce National Historic Trail

    No admission fee

    A 1,170-mile historic trail across five states retracing the Nez Perce people's 1877 flight from the U.S. Army.

    16 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors
    Iconic

    Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

    $25–$50

    Stand at Artist Point and look up a yellow-walled canyon to the 308-foot Lower Falls.

    22 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors
    Iconic

    Yellowstone Lake

    $25–$50

    Look out over North America's largest high-elevation lake, with geysers on its shore at West Thumb and trout below Fishing Bridge.

    24 mi awayMore like this

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