Can you swim in the Grand Prismatic Spring?

It is illegal to swim, bathe or wade in the thermal features of the Grand Prismatic Spring. You could get burned or it can even be fatal! If you want to go swimming in Yellowstone, you should know that it is only allowed in a few designated areas, namely Boiling River and the Firehole swim area.



People Also Ask

The Grand Prismatic Spring is one of America's more beautiful sites to look at, just don't touch as the boiling heat could likely melt skin from bone, mixing blood red into the deep blue.

MORE DETAILS

The Boiling River is one of only a few hot springs in Yellowstone National Park for swimming.

MORE DETAILS

Don't touch any water in or around thermal features. Never swim, soak, or wade in thermal features. More than 20 people have died from intentionally entering or falling into hot springs. Pets are not allowed in thermal areas, and you're better off leaving your pet at home.

MORE DETAILS

Grand Prismatic Hot Spring in the Midway Geyser Basin Its temperature is near boiling, ranging in different spots from 63 to 87 degrees Celsius (145.4 to 188.6 degrees Fahrenheit). The dramatic colors are an interplay of physics, chemistry and biology.

MORE DETAILS

The largest, and one of the most spectacular, springs in the park is the Grand Prismatic Spring. It is 90 meters (300 feet) across and 50 meters (160 feet) deep.

MORE DETAILS

Abyss Pool is one of the deepest hot springs in the park, descending 53 feet (16 m).

MORE DETAILS

The third largest spring in the world, the Grand Prismatic is bigger than a football field at 370 feet in diameter. A gridiron is 360 feet long and 160 feet wide. The hot spring has bright bands of orange, yellow, and green ring the deep blue waters in the spring.

MORE DETAILS

The hot springs within Yellowstone are far too hot to enjoy. Even a dip of a tow could result in serious burns. Please pay attention to signage and do not touch the scalding waters of Yellowstone. There are a few places where hot waters flow into cool rivers, making a warm area to swim and soak.

MORE DETAILS

Then, with the work of Mother Nature, the Boiling River ceased to exist as we know it as historic flooding in 2022 destroyed the area. Before and after photos show the area where the Boiling River sat is now a rocky area as the floods changed the river channel.

MORE DETAILS

The microorganisms present at the Grand Prismatic Spring are mostly extreme thermophilic bacteria and archaea. These non-spore-forming thermophiles thrive at their tolerated temperature ranges.

MORE DETAILS

The colors of Grand Prismatic Spring come from thermophiles: microbes that thrive in scalding water. The green is chlorophyll they use to absorb sunlight.

MORE DETAILS

In October 2021, a 20-year-old woman suffered second-degree burns after she rushed into a hot spring at Yellowstone while trying to rescue her dog. The hot spring that she entered, Maiden's Grave Spring, has an average temperature of 200 degrees Fahrenheit, per the NPS.

MORE DETAILS