Get to Know Lion Geyser

Like Beehive Geyser, Lion Geyser is a large geyser on Geyser Hill that can be seen while waiting for Old Faithful. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at this somewhat predictable geyser.

BASICS

• Erupts in a series of eruptions followed by a pause of many hours.
• Eruptions are 50-70 feet high and last 4-5 minutes
• It is not predicted, but if it is in a series, it can be pretty easy to catch an eruption

WHERE IT’S LOCATED

Lion Geyser is located along the lower boardwalk on Geyser Hill, not far from Old Faithful and a short way from Beehive Geyser. It’s the largest cone on the Lion Group platform. You can remember the order of the geysers on the platform if you remember that parents often have to sit between the children. Standing by the benches, from left to right, you have Little Cub Geyser, Lion Geyser, Big Cub Geyser, Lioness Geyser.

To reach Lion Geyser, walk around Old Faithful until you reach the path crossing the Firehole River. When reaching Geyser Hill, take the lower boardwalk around to the opposite side of Geyser Hill.

ABOUT LION GEYSER AND ITS ERUPTIONS

Lion Geyser erupts in a series of eruptions. This means there are many eruptions over a few hours, and then there’s an hour-long pause while the system recharges. The series can contain anywhere from one eruption to nine or more, but often, there are three to five eruptions before a pause.

The first eruption in the series is a bit taller than the rest and lasts about a minute longer (including the steam phase). Because it uses more energy, the time until the next eruption is about an hour and a half. Any following eruptions happen with about an hour between them. Lion usually “roars” with a gush of rushing air in the vent before each of the series’ follow-up eruptions. All of this makes the follow-up eruptions in a series somewhat predictable.

CONNECTIONS

Lion Geyser is connected to many other springs in the area, and surprisingly, no connection has been established between Lion and its close and active neighbor, Little Cub. The Lion Group consists of all four cones on the platform and both Goggle Spring and North Goggles Geyser. “Kitten Geyser” across the boardwalk is also in the Lion Group.

Unusual activity in late 2018 on Geyser Hill affected Lion Geyer. It had a short dormancy during this unusual activity, while North Goggles Geyser had an amazing number of eruptions. After the unusual activity subsided, Lion returned to the behavior seen before the anomaly. This may point to deeper connections on this side of Geyser Hill.

HOW ERUPTIONS HAVE CHANGED OVER TIME

Lion Geyser pauses about 9-14 hours between series, which is pretty often compared to the past. Lion has shown periods of waxing and waning over the years.

In 1938, Park Naturalist George Marler observed about two active phases (series) a couple of times a week that lasted 48 to 60 hours. The time between eruptions lengthened through the series from 30 minutes to up to 150 minutes. In 1955, it was seen only once a week, sometimes with eruptions three hours apart. By 1958, active phases were seldom seen. From 1964 to 1969, he reported 7 to 9 days between active phases. Knowing this can help us appreciate the regularity we currently enjoy from this geyser.

IN CONCLUSION

While Lion Geyser isn’t among the handful of predicted geysers, catching follow-up eruptions becomes relatively easy once an initial eruption in a series of eruptions has occurred. If there’s a second eruption, it will happen about an hour and a half later, and any following eruptions will be about an hour apart.

• This article was condensed from one about Lion Geyser at Yellowstone Naturalist. Learn More.
• Find out when Lion Geyser last erupted.

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