Morning Glory Pool — Attraction in West Yellowstone

Yellowstone National Park, located primarily in Wyoming, sits atop one of the largest active supervolcanoes in the world, the Yellowstone Caldera. The park is famous for its geothermal features, including hot springs, geysers, mud pots, and fumaroles, which are concentrated in several hydrothermal basins such as Upper Geyser Basin, Norris Geyser Basin, and Mammoth Hot Springs.

Geological Features

The geothermal activity in Yellowstone is driven by a shallow magma chamber beneath the park, providing heat to circulating groundwater.

Hot springs form when water percolates deep into the Earth, is heated by geothermal energy, and rises to the surface through fractures in the rock.

Yellowstone’s hot springs are hydrothermal features and vary widely in temperature, pH, and mineral content.

Mammoth Hot Springs: Hot, slightly alkaline waters depositing travertine terraces rich in calcium carbonate.

Norris Geyser Basin: Extremely hot, acidic springs with temperatures exceeding 90°C (194°F).

Physical and Chemical Characteristics

Temperature: Ranges from 50°C to near boiling (100°C / 212°F) depending on location.

pH: Can range from highly acidic (pH 9).

Mineral content includes silica, calcium carbonate, sulfur compounds, and dissolved metals, giving rise to vibrant colors.

The colors of the microbial mats are produced by thermophilic microorganisms, which thrive at different temperatures and chemical conditions.

Biological Aspects

Yellowstone hot springs host diverse thermophiles and extremophiles, including bacteria, archaea, and cyanobacteria.

Microbial communities produce pigments that create the famous rainbow colors in hot springs such as Grand Prismatic Spring.

These extremophiles are studied for insights into early life on Earth and potential life in extreme extraterrestrial environments.

Hazards

Hot springs can be extremely hot and acidic, capable of causing severe burns or death upon direct contact.

The fragile crust around geothermal features may collapse, making walking off designated boardwalks dangerous.

Gases such as hydrogen sulfide can accumulate locally, posing respiratory risks.

Scientific Significance

Yellowstone’s hot springs are a natural laboratory for geothermal and microbial research, providing insight into volcanism, hydrothermal circulation, extremophile biology, and mineral deposition.

They contribute to understanding the interplay between tectonics, volcanism, and surface...

Who on earth rated Morning Glory less than five stars? It does not get much better than this spot. It has an epic hike to get to it. The pool is absolutely gorgeous. It is by some cool places too.

First, the pool is gorgeous. I have been coming here when the pool was blue. I have been coming here for about 35 years because of how pretty it is. The walkway lets you get a lot of vistas from it.

I one time saw a buffalo there. It was a ways off. It was so much fun seeing it. I recommend bringing a good camera that has great zoom. I always see something worth seeing like the buffalo.

Speaking of buffalos, we do see them often. It is good to be on the lookout for them. We have seen them cross our path and we have to wait for them from a real safe distance. The hike to there is a bit long.

We park at Yellowstone lodge, and it is a decent hike. You will want to be in descent shape, have plenty of water, and have snacks.

I love the longer hike. You see a ton of cool things as you walk over to Morning Glory. You can watch Old Faithful. There are so many boardwalks to see other hot pools. The whole hike you have things to see. I was was never bored.

Being in the vicinity of Old Faithful lodge, you can stock up on goods before or after the hike. Past morning glory has another beautiful hot pool. This is a must when you visit Yellowstone. I have included photos of morning glory, what you see on the way, and a little what the hike has to offer. I also included the...

I have been to Yellowstone before, although it has been many years, and Morning Glory Pool had been one of my favorite places on the Upper Geyser Basin. I eagerly anticipated seeing it again on this trip. It was a much longer walk than I remembered... It's 1.5 miles on the boardwalk from Old Faithful Inn. While it was still clear and lovely, it had lost some of its beautiful blue color that gave it it's name and that set it apart for me.

When I asked about it the Ranger said that the water has cooled some because of the debris that has been thrown into it by visitors and this has partially clogged the water vent. Geysers get their color from the water temperature and the minerals in it, plus the organisms that can tolerate the heat and thrive. Greens and oranges reflect cooler water.

This caused me to respect these water features more for they are what bring people to this place. It is sad that this is happening; caused by people who think its funny. I want to see this place be around for others to enjoy, so I ask that others think about what they are doing to help keep the water features and the...