Norris Geyser Basin runs hotter than any other thermal area in Yellowstone, and it sits just outside the caldera, close to the rim and its ring fractures. Two trails serve it from the lot straight ahead at the four-way junction: Porcelain Basin, a three-quarter-mile mix of bare ground and boardwalk with no trees, and Back Basin, a wooded 1.5-mile circuit. The National Park Service allows 30 to 90 minutes, and restrooms are at the lot. Steamboat Geyser, the world's tallest active geyser, is the headliner, though it keeps no schedule. Echinus, the world's largest acidic geyser, is here too. Parking near the basin is limited between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Visitors returning to the junction should remember that Madison is then to the right.
Norris Geyser Basin is straight through the junction ahead. Left is the tour. Allow thirty to ninety minutes. Porcelain Basin is a three-quarter mile walk, and Back Basin is a mile and a half. Running late? Norris sits on the Upper Loop too, so save it for then. One direction to keep for later. When you drive back out of that lot, Madison is a right turn, not a left. Out of the lot, turn right. People ask where Norris Geyser is. There isn't one. The name belongs to the park's second superintendent, Philetus Norris. This is the hottest thermal area in the park, and it's home to Steamboat, the world's tallest active geyser, with eruptions of more than three hundred feet. You park here at your own risk, because when Steamboat goes, minerals in the spray can damage your glass and paint.
Photo: NPS Photo / Jim Peaco · Public domain