Get to Know Riverside Geyser

Riverside Geyser is a beautiful geyser that’s often more reliable than Old Faithful. It sits in a lovely setting and frequently shows rainbows in the spray in the late afternoon.

THE BASICS OF RIVERSIDE

• Riverside usually erupts every 6 hours (give or take 20ish minutes).
• It is a predicted geyser with the National Park Service and Geyser Times.
• It erupts to a height of about 75 feet.
• Eruptions last about 20 minutes.
• It’s a bit of a walk from Old Faithful – not quite a mile.

WHERE RIVERSIDE IS LOCATED

Riverside Geyser is located about a mile from Old Faithful. It can be reached by following the paved walking/bike path past the Daisy Geyser area. The path will turn off to your right with a sign pointing you to Riverside Geyser.

When you arrive in the area across the river from Riverside Geyser’s cone, you’ll find benches where you can wait for the eruption. Behind these benches are a couple of smaller hot springs not known to erupt.

HISTORY

Many geysers have changed their behavior over the years, but Riverside has remained remarkably consistent. The average intervals between eruptions range from 5.5 to 8.5 hours, but most recently, they have fallen around the 6-6.5-hour mark. That’s pretty much what Riverside has done for many years, only shortening its interval after the 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake. Its regularity comes from not sharing its water with other thermal features that would alter the amount of water and energy available.

WATCHING FOR AN ERUPTION

Riverside’s cone rises from the edge of the Firehole River, and the eruptions arch over the river, making for a lovely scene. The cone has upper and lower parts. The upper part may splash occasionally prior to an eruption, but the main eruption comes from the lower part.

The first thing to look for when you arrive in the area is overflow from the lower part of the cone. If you see overflow, you’re at least within a couple of hours of an eruption. The overflow begins 1.5 to 2 hours before the start. As the eruption nears, two smaller vents behind the main one on the lower part of the cone start to bubble. They increase and decrease in intensity. In addition, you may see splashes from the upper vent.

Eventually, you’ll see larger splashes from the main vent. Most of the time, this will build into the full eruption. However, occasionally the energy builds, but the geyser doesn’t erupt. In that case, you’ll have a bit longer (maybe another 15 to 20 minutes) to wait, as this attempt to erupt took some energy away.

Once the eruption begins and the water reaches its full height, it holds this full height for about five minutes before the water column begins to lower slightly. However, the water phase lasts nearly 20 minutes and will end with a short steam phase.

RAINBOWS

Riverside Geyser is well known for having rainbows in the spray that falls into the river. Try walking up and down the viewing area to see if you can catch a rainbow.

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