Giant Geyser Erupts Twice This Summer, Are More Eruptions on the Way?

Is Giant Geyser waking up? On Monday, August 17, 2026, Giant Geyser in Yellowstone’s Upper Geyser Basin erupted for the second time this year. Giant Geyser is the second tallest geyser in the world (unless Black Diamond Pool’s explosive eruption pushed that to third place). The first eruption was caught on the live-streaming webcam on June 26. Geyser enthusiasts in the area confirmed the eruption. While it can have occasional eruptions like this, many hope it will wake up and enter an active phase where it plays more often.

The last active phase of Giant Geyser began in 2018 and continued into 2019. Before that, it was active from late August 2005 to the end of April 2008. Seeing the reports of a first eruption was a delight, but then, 52 days later, seeing a second eruption raised a tiny bit of hope that we might have a chance to see this amazing geyser more often again. If it does reach the same regularity seen before, it could erupt every 5 to 15 days, or once every week or two.

Giant Geyser does have indicators preceding an eruption. As an eruption builds at Giant Geyser, smaller vents on the platform in front of it will erupt. These “hot periods” are an opportunity for Giant to erupt, but not a guarantee. Geyser enthusiasts in the area will watch for these.

There are more signs of what Giant Geyser is doing, but they are involved and more complex. You can find a very basic post about watching for Giant Geyser here on Cody Journal’s sorely neglected sister site, Yellowstone Naturalist. If Giant does give us more hope of entering an active phase, expect to see an article with more details about the connections between the thermal features in this area and how their behavior can indicate a possible eruption of Giant Geyser.

Also, Opal Pool Erupted

Other unusual activity this summer has been the eruptions from Opal Pool. Located at Midway Geyser Basin near Grand Prismatic Spring, Opal Pool woke up for a day on July 21, 2026, with an eruption lasting about five hours, with bursts happening every 3-5 minutes. This rare geyser is erratic and gives no known advanced signs. It can erupt for a day and be quiet for years. It can also be active every few days while in a usually brief active phase. See a video of it on Facebook.

Geysers are rare, and Yellowstone is the only location where they have behaved without intervention, more so than anywhere else on Earth. Janet has watched and learned about the geysers and other thermal features in Yellowstone for over 20 years.

[Community Contributor]

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