Few People Know That New York Is Home To This Incredible Wonder
By Lea Monroe
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Published February 28, 2018
Anyone who’s familiar with America’s famous natural wonders will be able to tell you about places like the Fly Geyser in Nevada – the most epic and accidental geyser in our country. But what if I were to tell you that right here in the Empire State we have a beautiful geyser of our very own? Constantly changing in appearance and easily accessible to everyone, keep reading to find out why you’ll wish you had known about this hidden gem sooner!
Recently recognized for being one of the most beautiful small towns in the U.S., Saratoga Springs is home to one of our most unique state parks.
Inside Saratoga Spa State Park you'll find a little bit of everything, from an outdoor performing arts center, swimming pools and hiking trails to a golf course and even museums.
Saratoga Spa State Park has earned a high level of bragging rights, featuring the only active spouter geysers east of the Mississippi River!
Known generally as the Saratoga Geyser or the Geyser Island Spouter, this eye-popping natural wonder has been transforming ever since it originally made its way to the earth's surface back in the early 1900s.
If you compare old photos of the geyser to ones from today, you'll quickly notice that the tufa deposit surrounding the spouter has grown quite a bit over time - with an evolving rate of roughly two inches per year.
The tufa deposit has grown so much in size that you'll often see visitors nowadays can walking out onto the mineral island to get an up-close look at the actual geyser.
Depending on what time of year it is, the geyser generally sends a fountain of water up into the air that reaches anywhere from 5 to 15 feet.
Unlike other spouter geysers around the country that keep high temperatures, Saratoga's geyser always remains quite frigid with average temperatures that fall anywhere from 48 to 56 degrees!
And if you visit during the winter you'll see that the geyser often resembles the ice volcano that shows up every year at Letchworth State Park.
With Saratoga Spa State Park covering over 2,000 acres, you might be wondering how exactly you can track down this amazing wonder so that you can see it for yourself.
We're happy to report that finding the Island Spouter is easy as pie, visitors of the park can drive down Geyser Loop Road until they come to the small parking located within eyesight of the geyser.
The primary parking lot for those who want to visit the geyser is quite small, but there's no need to worry about finding a place to park. If the small parking lot off of Geyser Loop Road is full, right across the street you'll find a quite larger parking lot that will still put just a few steps away from the Saratoga geyser.
One of the most visited springs in Saratoga, the Island Spouter sits along Geyser Creek and is one of eighteen springs in town that's said to have healing powers. To find out more information about the state park,
click here.
Did you know that New York had its own geyser? If you’ve ever visited the Geyser Island Spouter yourself, share with us your pictures and memories in our comments! To read about more family-friendly adventures that are worth taking around our state, read about how You Can’t Let Another Year Go By Without Seeing These 10 Breathtaking Spots In The Empire State.
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