Browse Map

Explore away

Explore Map Collection

Check out our basemaps

Print a Map Plus

Generate a high-quality PDF

Field Guide

Discover local flora, fauna, geology, and more

Local Flora & Fauna

Learn the ecology of your area

Local Geology

Learn the geologic formation at your feet

Get Started or Sign In

Welcome

Continue with Apple

Already have an account? Sign In

MAP

Topo

Measure

Topo

Ecoregions

Public Lands

...

BASEMAPS

Default Weather

Temperature

Smoke

...

WEATHER

Grand Prismatic Spring

Largest Hot Spring in Yellowstone

Hot Spring in Excelsior Group, Midway Geyser Basin on Firehole River in Yellowstone NP, Rocky Mountains near Old Faithful, WY

Print Map

Generate High-Quality PDF

Allows Bathing

Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest and most photographed hot springs in Yellowstone. It can be viewed at ground-level from the Midway Geyser Basin Trail or viewed from above from the Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook Trail starting at Fairy Falls Trailhead.

On the Web

On Wikipedia

The Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park is the largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world, after Frying Pan Lake in New Zealand and Boiling Lake in Dominica. It is located in the Midway Geyser Basin. Grand Prismatic Spring was noted by geologists working in the Hayden Geological Survey of 1871, and named by them for its striking coloration. Its colors match the rainbow dispersion of white light by an optical prism: red, orange, yellow, green, and blue.

Classified As

Hot Spring

Waterbody

Firehole River

River