Grand Geyser — Attraction in West Yellowstone

Quite possibly the single best geyser in Yellowstone for its combination of spectacular eruptions and relatively frequent and reliable performance. Grand is an absolute gem and if you can fit it into your schedule it’s totally worth the wait. As lovely as Old Faithful is, Grand simply puts on a better show with its powerful, charismatic bursts and longer eruption. Willing to wait a few hours to catch it? Great!Here’s the plan- first you’ll obviously need to know when the next prediction is. You can find that in the Old Faithful visitor center, or better yet download the GeyserTimes app. This app tracks eruptions so you can easily see what the last several intervals (time between eruptions) have been. Lately, (as of summer 2018) Grand has been tracking very reliably with intervals of 5-7 hours. Figure out the next window of opportunity for Grand. For example, if the last eruption was at 8:00 A.M., then the next one will likely be between 1 and 3 in the afternoon. (Side note- it is helpful to think of predictions as window like this rather than as specific times. Geysers don’t know if they are “early” or “late”, they just go when they’re ready.) If you have extra time enjoy some of the other features of the area like Castle Geyser or Geyser hill. Once at Grand you’ll notice a low but distinct sinter rim and a flat pool of water on the right of that. The flat pool is Grand. The small geyser with the large raised rim is Turban Geyser. The two geysers are closely connected. As an eruption of Grand approaches, Turban will begin erupting in a roughly 20 minute cycle. Grand will erupt either just before or after the beginning of Turban. If Turban starts and Grand does not join within a minute or two, then it almost certainly won’t for another 15-20 minutes, giving Turban time to finish and reset. Sit back, relax, read a book, or whatever :-). These cycles can go on for hours. When you know you’re near the top of the cycle when either Grand or Turban or both will start soon, watch Grand’s flat pool of water. If you see even a small jet of water break the surface then get ready! Other than the cycling of Turban, Grand begins quickly with little warning. Within a few seconds of the first splash it rises dramatically to its full height and the show is on! A bit after the first strong surge the height will drop down but the eruption continues for several minutes with powerful, rhythmic bursts. After it stops wait a few seconds as it occasionally treats you to a second strong burst much...

The Grand Geyser is spectacular. We saw Old Faithful erupt. As soon as it was done the Grand geyser started till you dropped and it was bigger than old faithful. The ranger explained the history of Old Faithful and all the geysers. And they also said the grand geyser it goes off every seven to fifteen hours or so. We were fortunate enough to capture both. What a marvelous day at Old Faithful and all.ots...

Absolutely worth planning your day around its eruption prediction time. It usually goes off 2-3x in a day, including once in the middle of the night. So much more spectacular than Old Faithful and you are sitting / standing much closer with a smaller crowd. A very intimate phenomenal geyser show. I was completely in awe. Old Faithful barely made an impression one me, after...