Beehive Geyser

Across the Firehole River from Old Faithful rises a barren white hill covered with gray minerals and bright streaks of bacteria. This is aptly named "Geyser Hill" and it contains one of the largest concentrations of geysers in the world. Several of the geysers are significant spouters, and one of them is truly spectacular when it plays, and is usually a crowd favorite.

Geyser Hill in the early morning

Beehive Geyser lies on the southern edge of Geyser Hill. Its name is based on its four-foot-tall cone that rises out of the surrounding sinter platform, resembling an old fashioned straw beehive. Most visitors walk right past Beehive during its quiet interval, only giving off subtle subterranean rumbles, wisps of steam, and occasional splashes. But, once a day, something occurs that sends the observing Geyser Gazer scrambling for their radio, and has all the other Gazers speeding in from across the Basin. Beehive's Indicator erupts.

Beehive's Indicator erupts, Beehive is the cone on the left.

Beehive's indicator is a jagged vent a few feet in front of Beehive, between the boardwalk and the cone, that fills with water and erupts up to 15 feet. As hinted by its name, Beehive's indicator usually only erupts just before an eruption of Beehive.

Somewhere between seconds and 30 minutes of Beehive's Indicator starting, Beehive will suddenly pour out a surge of superheated water from its cone, dousing the surrounding area and sending up a ball of steam. This is followed by a huge jet will exploding from the cone, blasting into the air and climbing 150-200 feet into the sky. The spectacle is one of the best in Yellowstone. During many eruptions, visitors will be showered by the falling water of the eruption, getting soaked within seconds. This water is usually cool, as it has time to chill as it falls through the air after leaving the vent.

With the boardwalk coming within 50 feet of Beehive, the sound of the water is incredible, reminiscent of a roaring jet engine. Supposedly the sound is due to the steam and water escaping through the vent at nearly supersonic speeds, although this theory has yet to be proven.

Beehive erupting in June 2014. Photo by Micah K. 

When I arrived in Yellowstone at the beginning of summer in 2013, Beehive was cooperating fairly well. 16-20 hours were the norm, with the occasional curveball interval thrown in. Then, on July 4th, things took a surprising turn. Beehive's indicator decided to erupt for an hour. Beehive splashed, and splashed, and splashed, but did not erupt. Geyser Gazers and visitors who were expecting a show groaned, but for different reasons. For visitors, it was the fact that the Geyser hadn't erupted as "promised" by the Gazers. For the Gazers themselves, it was because a "false indicator" means that Beehive is probably "broken".

 Sure enough, Beehive was "broken" for the entirety of the rest of the summer. Indicator began a pattern that would continue for months, erupting for 45-60 minutes every 3-4 hours. Beehive sometimes went days between eruptions, and several of them occurred with no indicator preceding it. After July 4 I only got to witness four more Beehive eruptions, two of them from a distance, one of them in the middle of the night from a distance, and one, by sheer luck, from the boardwalk in front of it.

Regardless of how Beehive behaved that summer, it's always a thrill of looking up and seeing indicator jetting outward, and the roar of Beehive's column as it towers skyward is always awe-inspiring. And once again, it's a crowd-pleaser, and I always love it when visitors get to enjoy the wonders of Yellowstone's Geysers.

Beehive Geyser and its indicator at sunset. Photo by Micah K.