Established in 1872, Yellowstone National Park was the world’s first national park—but the Yellowstone of today is much different from Yellowstone back then. The park sits atop a volcanic hot spot and is always gradually changing, thanks to powerful geological forces.
For that reason, it’s not unusual for a new geyser or hot spring to occasionally crop up somewhere on the park’s 3,500 square miles. But a new geyser discovered in September 2024 is causing waves because it can be seen from the road—and it’ll be easy for park visitors to see it this summer.
This new steam column can be found near Nymph Lake in the Mammoth Hot Springs area, about a mile north of the Norris Geyser Basin. It’s located between a lava flow and a marsh in the Roadside Springs thermal area, on the road between Mammoth Hot Springs and Norris Junction—it takes around 45 minutes to reach.
There’s already a pullout there road pullout there for visitors to stop and see the column of steam shooting into the sky. As long as the thermal feature continues, you may be able to see it when Yellowstone’s roads open in late April.
According to the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, which is overseen by the U.S. Geological Survey, a scientist noticed billowing smoke shooting up from the base of a wooded hill in late summer 2024. After giving it a closer look, the thermal feature was verified as new—scientists also determined that its piping-hot steam measures a toasty 171 degrees Fahrenheit.
The new thermal feature made a strong showing throughout the summer and fall, but waned in the winter. The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory reported that while it remains active, water in the vent decreased the amount of steam being released, and it’s still unclear if conditions will return this summer.
However, even if the new steam column isn’t active when you visit, it’s just one of more than 10,000 hydrothermal features within Yellowstone National Park. In fact, the park is home to more than 500 geysers (that’s more than half the world’s geysers), including its most famous, Old Faithful, which erupts, on average, every 92 minutes.
