Emerald Pool

Located just north of the Old Faithful area in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone, Black Sand Basin offers a nice short walk through a small collection of volcanic geothermal features. Hot springs are more common here than geysers, though there are still a couple. Though busy, when we visited, we found Black Sand Basin to be much less crowded than other nearby basins to the north and south. A mostly flat boardwalk provides access to the major features of the basin, most of which I have cataloged in the following album along with a bit of information on each. As always, I hope you ENJOY!!

Trailhead GPS Coordinates: 44.462216, -110.853385

Location: Upper Geyser Basin

Hike Length: 0.5 miles

Hike Duration: 0:30

Elevation: 7,292'

Geysers: Cliff, Spouter

Hot Springs: Emerald Pool, Green Spring, Opalescent Pool (unpictured), Rainbow Pool, Sunset Lake

Yellowstone National Park - Black Sand Basin (7-18-20)

Black Sand Basin Area Map
The trailhead map showing locations of the major geothermal features at Black Sand Basin...
Black Sand Basin
Looking across Iron Spring Creek towards the northern portion of the Black Sand Basin...
Black Sand Basin
The boardwalk as it departs the trailhead at the Black Sand Basin. The Rhyolite Cliffs rise beyond...
Iron Spring Creek
Iron Spring Creek, seen here from the beginning of the boardwalk, is the major stream flowing through the Black Sand Basin...
Cliff Geyser & Iron Spring Creek

Location: Black Sand Basin
Type: Geyser
Temperature: 192'F
Height: 40 feet
Duration: 30 minutes-3 hours
Interval: Irregular
Green Spring

Location: Black Sand Basin
Type: Hot Spring
Temperature: 201'F
Dimensions: n/a
Depth: n/a
Iron Spring Creek
Looking southwest, across Iron Spring Creek, in the direction of Emerald Pool and the Rhyolite Cliffs...
Black Sand Basin
One of the many unnamed, but still interesting, geothermal features seen from the boardwalk...
Rainbow Pool

Location: Black Sand Basin
Type: Hot Spring
Temperature: 161'F
Dimensions: 100x130 feet
Depth: 27 feet
Rainbow Pool

Location: Black Sand Basin
Type: Hot Spring
Temperature: 161'F
Dimensions: 100x130 feet
Depth: 27 feet
Black Spring Basin
Looking northwest from the basin near Rainbow Pool...
Sunset Lake

Location: Black Sand Basin
Type: Hot Spring
Temperature: 180'F
Dimensions: 145x191 feet
Depth: 24 feet
Sunset Lake

Location: Black Sand Basin
Type: Hot Spring
Temperature: 180'F
Dimensions: 145x191 feet
Depth: 24 feet
Sunset Lake

Location: Black Sand Basin
Type: Hot Spring
Temperature: 180'F
Dimensions: 145x191 feet
Depth: 24 feet
Emerald Pool

Location: Black Sand Basin
Type: Hot Spring
Temperature: 155'F
Dimensions: 27x38 feet
Depth: 25 feet
Spouter Geyser

Location: Black Sand Basin
Type: Geyser
Temperature: 200'F
Height: 5-7 feet
Duration: 10-11 hours
Interval: 1-2 hours
Spouter Geyser

Location: Black Sand Basin
Type: Geyser
Temperature: 200'F
Height: 5-7 feet
Duration: 10-11 hours
Interval: 1-2 hours
Black Sand Basin
A parting panorama of Black Sand Basin, with Iron Spring Creek bending past in the foreground and the Rhyolite Cliffs beyond...