The Soda Springs Geyser

As we were exploring all of the fun things to do in southeast Idaho, we made a point to stop by the Soda Springs geyser.  The geyser erupts every hour, on the hour.  We pulled into town with about 20 minutes to go, so we stopped at a store and grabbed some food for lunch, then we drove over to the geyser park to wait. 

The geyser was discovered/created in 1937 when drilling a well for a swimming pool.  The town didn't get the pool, but they ended up with the only captive geyser in the world.  The geyser was capped and has been put on a timer so that it erupts every hour on the hour.  (As a cool side note, in Google Streetview, you can see the geyser erupting from the view at E 1st Street South/South Main if you aim the camera off to the northwest.)

We wandered over to the boardwalk that goes around the geyser, found a seat, and waited for a few minutes for the geyser to go off.  Sure enough- it went off right on schedule.  We timed the eruption and it lasted for 7 minutes.  What a fun show! 

At seven minutes, the timer ended and shut off the geyser.  It was cool to see it shrink, then like a genii going back into a bottle, it was gone.  We looked at the geyser park for a while longer, then wandered back to our car.  The signs in the parking area were very appropriate.  If the geyser mound didn't tell you, the sign does.  This is water with a very high mineral content.

Nearest City: Soda Springs, ID
Location: West of Main Street at 1st St. South
Time Needed:  Up to an hour, most likely about 15 minutes.
Difficulty: Easy
Kid Friendly: Yes
Additional Info: