Mud Volcano
Mud Volcano is a roadside thermal feature in Yellowstone, Gallatin County, the Grand Loop Road a few dozen feet away, with measured water that is hot, too hot to sit in. The Park Service manages the land and access is open, roughly sixteen miles out of West Yellowstone.
Forty feet of ground separates this from the Grand Loop Road, which is to say almost none. Elevation runs around seventy-seven hundred feet. Ten-odd feet of snow falls in a year. The mean year-round temperature is thirty-four, precipitation moderate. Park Service land, national park designation.
Winter, December through February, is what the record rates best. Roadside access means the winter question is only plowing, and the park decides that. Tower Fall Campground is listed at about eighteen miles; nothing closer appears. Any real contact with the water will burn. The temperature on record is one reading; the real figure on any given day could be higher.
In 1871 this spot held a mud geyser that threw mud as high as 50 feet. It went quiet long ago and sits there today as a steaming pool. The park service took the recent photo from its best guess at William Henry Jackson's camera position.
Drag to compare.
1871: William Henry Jackson, National Archives, public domain. 2012: Yellowstone National Park, public domain.
Aircraft with laser scanners measured this ground to within inches. The scan strips out trees and buildings, leaving the bare shape of the land around Mud Volcano.
Drag the handle to compare the two views. The orange dot marks the spring, in a frame about three quarters of a mile wide.
- Setting
- Valley floor
- Gentle slopes rise on both sides.
- Highest ground nearby
- 170 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the west
A slice through the ground from southwest to northeast, about 0.6 miles end to end.
Elevation data: USGS 3D Elevation Program. Aerial imagery: USGS The National Map. Public domain.
That's about twice the US average of 65. It's higher than at 65% of the springs on this site.
Heat flow measures the warmth working its way up through the ground from deep inside the earth. Where it runs high, rain and snowmelt that seep down through cracks in the rock come back up hot.
See every spring on the geothermal heat map →
Heat flow estimate: Stanford Thermal Earth Model (Aljubran & Horne, 2024), CC BY 4.0.
Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Overview Tower Fall Campground—elevation 6,600 feet (2012 m)—is on the north side of the steep, winding, road to Dunraven Pass. The campground is near the Tower General Store and Tower Fall. The Lamar Valley, with spectacular wildlife viewing opportunities, is nearby as are several Day Hikes in the Tower and Northeast Area. Roosevelt Lodge, a short drive from the campground, offers dining and horseback riding. For reservations at the campgrounds managed by Yellowstone National Park Lodges (F...
Mud Volcano sits at 7,744 feet above sea level, way above the mile-high mark. You may not feel the altitude strongly, but hot water still dehydrates you faster at elevation. UV is about 31% stronger than at sea level, so bring sunscreen and drink more water than you normally would.
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Mud Volcano is road-accessible, so you can bring more gear. The water runs hot, so extra hydration is key. Cold air temperatures make a changing robe or warm layers essential.
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Springs Near Mud Volcano
More Springs Around 131°F
Hike 6 waterfalls near Mud Volcano
Looking for more outdoor adventures? Explore waterfall hikes near Mud Volcano, Wyoming.