Hiking the West Thumb Geyser Basin Trail in Yellowstone National Park
Distance (Short Loop): 0.5 miles / 0.8 km
Distance (Full Loop): 0.7 miles / 1.1 km
The West Thumb Geyser Basin Trail in Yellowstone National Park is an easy day hike through a very unique thermal area, where visitors can hike both a short and long loop past numerous stunning geysers and hot springs—some that I would argue are among the most beautiful thermal features across all of Yellowstone National Park!
In particular, both the Abyss Pool and the Black Pool are easily the two highlights of all the thermal features in the West Thumb Geyser Basin!
However, what makes the West Thumb stand apart from other geyser basins across the park are the panoramic east-facing views across Yellowstone Lake toward the rugged and remote Absaroka Range! I say this because similar sweeping views do not exist throughout the other basins, like the popular Upper Geyser Basin and Norris Geyser Basin, to name a few.
This is all to say that the West Thumb is my personal favorite geyser basin in Yellowstone National Park, and I recommend hiking both loops, as there is so much to enjoy throughout the entire trail!
West Thumb Geyser Basin Trailhead Parking
Parking for the West Thumb Geyser Basin Trail is located at the joint West Thumb Trailhead.
This is the same parking lot that also serves the Yellowstone Lake Overlook Trail and the Duck Lake Trail, with the easy boardwalk around the geyser basin being almost entirely responsible for why this is such a busy trailhead with somewhat limited parking.
Google Maps Directions: West Thumb Geyser Basin Trailhead
Hiking Checklist - Yellowstone–Tetons
Here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in the Yellowstone–Teton area.
Hiking the West Thumb Geyser Basin Trail
The West Thumb Geyser Basin Trail can begin from one of two trailheads on either side of the West Thumb Information Center.
This trailhead is the northern of the two, which is the way I typically prefer to begin hiking because it’s the fastest route to both the Abyss and Black Pool.
Shortly after leaving the northern trailhead, the West Thumb Geyser Basin Trail passes a little rest area on the right-hand side of the trail.
West Thumb Geyser Basin-North Trailhead Junction
After 0.1 miles (0.2 km), the route from the northern trailhead reaches the start of the West Thumb Geyser Basin Loop, with both the shortcut and the longer loop located to the left of this first junction.
Regarding my thoughts above, I chose to go left in the clockwise direction around the West Thumb Geyser Basin Loop, which, again, is the fastest route to both the shortcut and the Abyss and Black Pools shortly thereafter.
North West Thumb Geyser Basin-Twin Geyser Shortcut Junction
After just under 0.2 miles (0.3 km), the West Thumb Geyser Basin Trail reaches the split for both the shorter 0.5-mile (0.8 km) loop on the right and the longer 0.7-mile (1.1 km) loop that leads down to Yellowstone Lake on the left.
Personally, I recommend checking out both, as they are both incredible in terms of everything there is to see. However, if you don’t want to or don’t have the time to see both, the longer loop is the better of the two!
I say this because of both the incredible views looking across Yellowstone Lake and the Abyss and Black Pools just ahead, which are easily the two highlights among all the thermal features in the West Thumb Geyser Basin!
To skip ahead to the Twin Geyser Shortcut Trail, click here.
This is where the West Thumb Geyser Basin Trail continues to the left around the longer loop toward Yellowstone Lake.
Abyss Pool
Shortly after leaving the shortcut junction, the West Thumb Geyser Basin reaches both the Abyss Pool and the Black Pool, just a few steps ahead!
In my opinion, the Abyss Pool is the highlight of the West Thumb Geyser Basin, though Black Pool is certainly a close second!
In any case, the Abyss Pool is actually a thermal hot spring that measures 53 ft. (16.2 m) deep, making it one of the deepest hot springs in Yellowstone National Park, according to the National Park Service!
It’s important to keep in mind that the color of the Abyss Pool can change and is influenced by both the time of day, as well as the water’s chemistry and biological activity.
By this, I mean that it may be turquoise blue, as shown here, or, at other times, it can look more emerald green. However, if one thing is true, there is one best time to take photos of all the best thermal features in the West Thumb Geyser Basin, which you can learn about in more detail below!
This is the short walk between the Abyss Pool and the Black Pool.
Black Pool
Black Pool is another geothermal hot spring, and it is just as, if not more, beautiful than the Abyss Pool!
However, the reason I tend to favor the Abyss Pool is that nothing is in the background when taking photos from the best angle, which is not true of Black Pool.
In any case, Black Pool measures about 35–40 ft. (10.7–12.2 m) deep, according to the National Park Service, and its name comes from the fact that the water used to appear black!
However, the pool became much hotter in the early 1990s and, as a result, killed the dark-colored microbial organisms that ultimately gave the pool its black appearance, revealing the turquoise-blue color we get to enjoy today!
After Black Pool, the West Thumb Geyser Basin Trail descends toward the shores of Yellowstone Lake, where the boardwalk passes a number of unique lesser-known geysers, some of which are completely submerged and others, like Fishing Cone, that often looks like a small island, depending on the lake’s water level.
What is the Best Time of the Day to Take Photos in the West Thumb Geyser Basin?
The answer to this question is easily and unequivocally mid- to late afternoon, specifically between 3:30–5:30 p.m. on a sunny day!
I say this because photos of all the best and most beautiful thermal features face east toward Yellowstone Lake. This means that if you hike the trail in the morning, photos are typically blown out by the rising sun—not to mention, photos of the lake itself are less than ideal for the same reason.
However, by mid-afternoon, the sun moves behind the parking lot, resulting in the best light to capture the colors in the Abyss Pool, the Black Pool, and, of course, Yellowstone Lake!
Now, I think it’s important to highlight the word "sunny," as direct sunlight is best for seeing the colors at their best. The only tricky part is that pop-up afternoon thunderstorms are very common across the Mountain West, which should be obvious from the photos throughout this article.
Nevertheless, if you get lucky with a break in the clouds, I have no doubt you’ll be able to capture great photos of all the best thermal features and maybe even get a good one for the family Christmas card on this next section that parallels Yellowstone Lake!
Big Cone Geyser
Big Cone actually stands for Big Cone Geyser, and according to the National Park Service, it is an active geyser!
That said, it is not uncommon to see Big Cone Geyser bubble and even overflow, but I cannot confidently confirm whether this activity is actually considered an eruption, as information about the geyser is very limited.
Fishing Cone Geyser
Immediately after Big Cone, the West Thumb Geyser Basin Trail passes Fishing Cone, a partially submerged geyser named after an old practice in which visitors would catch fish from Yellowstone Lake and cook them directly in the cone’s hot water!
For obvious reasons, this is no longer allowed.
According to the National Park Service, eruptions at Fishing Cone have only been documented during two years. In 1919, the geyser erupted frequently to heights of about 40 ft. (12.2 m), while smaller eruptions were recorded in 1939.
Lakeshore Geyser
Lakeshore Geyser is the third and final geyser along Yellowstone Lake before the West Thumb Geyser Basin Trail starts turning back toward the trailhead.
According to the National Park Service, its vents are often submerged during spring and summer when lake levels rise from seasonal snowmelt, which was the case in these photos from early August following a very poor snow season across the West!
This is where the West Thumb Geyser Basin Trail turns away from Yellowstone Lake as it starts making its way back toward the trailhead.
As with all boardwalk trails in Yellowstone National Park, I strongly suggest wearing a hooded sun shirt to stay safe, especially if you plan to hike the Yellowstone Lake Overlook Trail when visiting the West Thumb, which I could not recommend more!
This is the view looking toward the Thumb Paint Pots, located at the far southern end of the Twin Geyser Shortcut previously mentioned.
South West Thumb Geyser Basin-Twin Geyser Shortcut Junction
This is where the longer West Thumb Geyser Basin Loop meets the southern end of the shortcut, originally passed just before Abyss Pool at the very beginning.
That said, go left to continue hiking back to the West Thumb Trailhead or right if you’re interested in seeing all the beautiful thermal features on the Twin Geyser Shortcut.
To skip ahead to the Twin Geyser Shortcut Trail, click here.
This is where the West Thumb Geyser Basin Trail continues up the hill to the beginning of the loop.
West Thumb Geyser Basin-South Trailhead Junction
This is where the West Thumb Geyser Basin Trail reaches the junction for the southern trailhead.
Once here, most visitors opt to go left to return to the West Thumb parking area, but on this day, I chose to continue straight to complete the full loop.
West Thumb Geyser Basin-North Trailhead Junction
This is where the West Thumb Geyser Basin Trail completes the 0.5-mile (0.8 km) outer loop and returns to the same junction where the northern trailhead first met the loop at Mimulus Pool, about 0.1 miles (0.2 km) from the parking area.
That said, go left to return to the West Thumb Geyser Basin Trailhead, or continue straight if you’re more interested in hiking the Twin Geyser Shortcut, as shown below.
North West Thumb Geyser Basin-Twin Geyser Shortcut Junction
To hike the shorter of the two West Thumb Geyser Basin loops, go right at this initial junction to begin hiking toward Twin Geyser.
Twin Geyser
Despite the deceptive name, Twin Geyser is actually a single geyser, but it sometimes carries the name "Twin Geysers" because it has two vents.
In any case, eruptions are not regular and are actually quite rare. Historically, they have been known to reach heights of up to 120 ft. (37 m), but I would not count on seeing one, as Twin Geyser has been known to go through very active periods followed by years, and even decades, of dormancy.
Out of all the thermal features on the Twin Geyser Shortcut, I personally think Percolating Spring is the most beautiful—and, importantly, it faces east toward Yellowstone Lake!
This, again, is why I previously said mid- to late afternoon is the best time to take photos on the West Thumb Geyser Basin Trail.
On a different note, the photo below is a great example of the quite dramatic pop-up thunderstorms that are quite common in Yellowstone National Park during the summer.
This split in the trail leads to the best viewpoint of the Thumb Paint Pots and is located just steps before the Twin Geyser Shortcut returns to the outer loop.
Thumb Paint Pots
The Thumb Paint Pots are the same thermal feature that could be seen near the end of the outer loop, just before reaching the South Trailhead junction.
That aside, the Thumb Paint Pots are a collection of beautiful boiling mud pots, similar to those on the upper side of the Artists’ Paintpots Trail near Norris Geyser Basin.
Once again, I want to highlight that the best photos are taken in the late afternoon hours, as shown here, since the best view of the Thumb Paint Pots looks east toward Yellowstone Lake!
South West Thumb Geyser Basin-Twin Geyser Shortcut Junction
This is where the Twin Geyser Shortcut returns to the outer West Thumb Geyser Basin Loop.
That said, go straight at this junction to return to either trailhead, just a short distance up the hill.
To skip back to this same junction shown previously, click here.
Old Faithful (Upper–Lower Geyser Basins)
Canyon Village
Maddison–Norris
Yellowstone Lake & East Entrance
Mammoth, Lamar Valley & Tower
