Geyser Basins & Thermal Features
The Mud Volcano area offers some of the most unique thermal features in Yellowstone, like bubbling mud pots and lakes of acid. The Mud Volcano Trail leads you by eerie and mysterious looking thermal features that have names to match, like Dragon's Mouth Spring, Churning Caldron, Sour Lake and Black Dragon's Caldron. The trail is 2/3 of a mile long and includes some steep grades and stairs, but only for a short distance. The gurgling mud pots are cooler to see and most active in the spring when water levels are high. The higher water levels thin out the mud making them bubble more furiously. As the hotter days of summer set in and water levels drop, the mud begins to thicken, slowing down the mud pots. Some of the features stay active while others dry up all together and turn into hissing fumaroles. While you're here, stop by Sulpher Caldron located just down the road within walking distance a couple hundred yards away.
Pick up a Mud Volcano Area Trail Guide at any visitor center so you can read about all the different features around the Mud Volcano trail. |
