Semi Centennial Geyser
Semi Centennial Geyser is a roadside geyser in Yellowstone, about a hundred feet off the Grand Loop Road. Near-boiling water on record, with a USGS site number and a chemistry sample from 2007. Gallatin County, Park Service land, open. West Yellowstone is the town on file as nearest. A geyser, so it is there to be watched.
Pull off the Grand Loop Road and it is right there, a hundred-odd feet away. Elevation around 7,500 feet. Cold climate on record, an annual average of 35, and snow running close to eleven and a half feet. Precipitation moderate. Protected national park land. Nothing is on file about the geyser's eruption pattern.
Near-boiling. Keep back from the vent and any runoff. The best months listed are the dead of winter, so confirm the Grand Loop Road is open before driving to it. Indian Creek Campground, seven miles off, is the closest camp on record. No fee listed.
A USGS site record exists for this geyser, with water chemistry sampled in September 2007.
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 Semi Centennial Geyser.
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
- Canyon floor
- Steep ground climbs away on both sides of the spring.
- Highest ground nearby
- 368 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the west
A slice through the ground from west to east, 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 80% 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.
The water at Semi Centennial Geyser is slightly acidic (pH 6.0).
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Overview Located about eight miles (13 km) south of Mammoth Hot Springs on the road to Norris, Indian Creek Campground—elevation 7,300 feet (2225 m)—sits near the base of the Gallatin Mountains and offers breathtaking views of Electric Peak. The area offers easy access to fishing and hiking. The campground is away from the main road and provides a quieter, more primitive, experience than many other locations. For reservations at the campgrounds managed by Yellowstone National Park Lodges (Fi...
Semi Centennial Geyser sits at 7,540 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 30% stronger than at sea level, so bring sunscreen and drink more water than you normally would.
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Semi Centennial Geyser is road-accessible, so you can bring more gear. The water is dangerously hot, so bring water shoes and test pools carefully. Cold air temperatures make a changing robe or warm layers essential.
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Springs Near Semi Centennial Geyser
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Slightly Acidic Springs (pH ~6.0)
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