Old Faithful eruptions are iconic images of the American National Park System, with most people around the country having seen an imagine of the famous geyser launching hundreds of gallons of water into the sky. A regular eruption is striking enough, but seeing the Yellowstone National Park feature erupt in 0°F is its own stunning image.
This footage shows exactly that, as a column of boiling water is shot into the sky, meeting the frigid air and quickly transforming into a dense cloud of vapor. It’s a pretty incredible visual effect and seems far more dramatic than what visitors usually see during the warmer months.
Old Faithful is one of roughly 500 geysers in Yellowstone and one of only six that park rangers predict with regularity. It erupts on a schedule that has remained remarkably consistent over decades, with rangers noting that average intervals between eruptions have lengthened by only about 30 minutes over the last 30 years. The geyser sits at the center of the Upper Geyser Basin, which contains at least 150 hydrothermal features within a single square mile. Yellowstone as a whole holds close to 60 percent of the world’s geysers.
The thermal activity driving Old Faithful is driven by the ongoing volcanic processes beneath the park. Glacial till deposits beneath the geyser basins store the water that feeds eruptions, while heat from deep underground brings it to a boil. Park officials note that thermal features are always changing, and that Old Faithful could someday stop erupting entirely.
Winter visitation at Yellowstone offers access to the park’s thermal features in a quieter setting, though travel requires snowcoach or snowmobile access to most areas. The Old Faithful Snow Lodge remains open during winter months, but access to the iconic geyser is only possible through guided tours. Eruption predictions for Old Faithful are available on the National Park website.
