Wyomingites are lucky. We’re lucky to live in a state that cares about preserving natural wonders, and we’re lucky to live near the largest collection of geysers in the entire world. If you’ve never been, add the West Thumb Geyser Basin to your bucket list – it’s the most impressive boardwalk trail in Wyoming.

The West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake is one of the most beautiful bodies of water in the world, and its geyser basin is the coolest boardwalk trail in Wyoming.
© K. Magaraci
The hot pots, thermal springs, and geysers that have developed close to the lake are classic Yellowstone wonders.
© K. Magaraci
These pools are impossibly blue — and boiling hot. In order to safely walk across the ground here, you have to stay on the man-made boardwalks. If you step off, you might fall through the fragile crust.
© K. Magaraci
From the parking area, follow the boardwalk for one mile and see more than a dozen thermal features that seem unreal.
© K. Magaraci
The features are all labeled, and you'll find interpretive signs along the way that explain how they were formed.
© K. Magaraci

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You can't get too close — but you still have a view of these seemingly bottomless hot spring pools.
© K. Magaraci
Each of these hot springs, thermal pools, and geysers are unique. The Black Pool is a deep and dark cavern full of two-hundred-degree mineral spring water.
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Even along the shoreline of the West Thumb, cone geysers bubble and erupt, sending hot water directly into the lake.
© K. Magaraci
Kayakers, tourists, and paddlers can spend time on the West Thumb if they launch in a specific spot. Check with Yellowstone National Park to find out more about kayaking near the West Thumb geyser basin.
© K. Magaraci
The West Thumb Geyser Basin is absolutely breathtaking, and a stroll on this one-mile boardwalk trail in Wyoming should be on your bucket list.
© K. Magaraci

Address: Yellowstone National Park, WY, 82190

Visit after Labor Day to avoid the crowds – and if you get there early, you’ll be one of the only people walking the boards.

To learn more about the importance of boardwalk trails and the dangerous potential of thermal features, read Most People Don’t Know About Wyoming’s Deadly Underground Hot Springs.

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