Crystal Geyser

Alex Cabrero
6 days ago
4 min read

(Green River) Let’s be honest for a minute. When most people hear the word “geyser,” they think of Yellowstone. They think of Old Faithful erupting high into the sky with smelly sulfur, loud gushing noises, and crowds of camera-wielding tourists saying "Ooo" and "Ahh." But here in Utah? We’re a little different. We’ve got Crystal Geyser.

Crystal Geyser is a cold-water geyser that’s more like a soda pop explosion after you shake a bottle of Pepsi and open it. The best part? It can go off at any time and just might do so while you’re standing there pretending like you know how it works. I actually have a pretty funny story about this from the first time I visited the place.

*Timber and I checking out Crystal Geyser*

I visited this spot in the desert off a bunch of dirt roads near Green River with my dog Timber in the spring of 2024. I had read about it, thought it sounded cool, and figured, "Why not?" I pulled up near the pipe that looked like where Crystal Geyser was supposed to be and parked. I got out and wasn't there for more than five minutes, no joke, when suddenly, fwoosh! Up came a surprising column of fizzy water from the ground like it was trying to win a Mentos-in-Coke contest. Out of nowhere, a guy came running up to us with the panicked energy of someone who had just lost his wallet. He looked at me dead serious and said, “What did you do?!”

I said, “Uh... what?” He replied, in a raised voice because it was so loud with the gushing water, “I have been camping here for two days waiting for that thing to go off and nothing. Then you show up and it goes off." I smiled and told him I just pushed the secret button by the red rocks over there. He wasn’t sure whether to laugh, cry, or punch me. It turns out the guy is someone who travels to see different geysers erupting all across the country and the world. And here I was, just a dude who got really, really, lucky. He offered to take me on his travels for good luck but I had to say no. There's no way it would've happened a second time somewhere else.

Crystal Geyser eruption

What Is Crystal Geyser, Really?

This geyser isn’t like the ones you see in National Parks. For starters, it's cold water flowing out of it. It's not the boiling hot hissing water you see and hear at places like Yellowstone. Technically, Crystal Geyser is a cold-water carbon dioxide geyser, which is the result of an old oil well drilled here in the 1930's. The well accidentally tapped into a pressurized underground CO₂ pocket, which to this day, forces water to erupt in fizzy bursts, just like shaking up that soda bottle and telling your friends to open it.

*The eruption from Crystal Geyser lasted about 30 minutes when I was there*

Sometimes it sprays just a few feet into the air. Other times, some pictures show it reaching 80 feet or more up. And sometimes, it doesn’t go off for an entire day. Or two. That’s also kind of what makes it so great... it’s like nature’s lottery. If you're lucky, you get a show. If not, well, there’s still a beautiful stretch of the Green River and some cool, smooth rippled rocks to walk that have been shaped by the geyser's flowing water before it reaches the Green River. It's like permanent ripples in the rock beneath your feet.

*The water flows from the geyser, down the rocks, and into the Green River*

The geyser is capped now with a metal pipe and grate. It's to prevent people from throwing large rocks and other items down the hole, which could clog the geyser and prevent it from erupting. Surely, the pressure would build up somewhere else and erupt somewhere else, right? I don't know.

*The red rock landscape and nearby vegetation make a great backdrop for the geyser*

Just please don't be the person who ruins it for the rest of us by throwing something down there. I read a geological report that says it doesn't erupt as often anymore because of all the stuff people have thrown down into the hole. Let’s keep it weird and wonderful for the next person who stumbles across it with their dog and somehow triggers it like they’ve got geyser superpowers.

*Timber thought this was a puppy water fountain just for her*

What to Know Before You Go:

Where: About 10 miles south of Green River, Utah. Easy dirt road access.

Cost: Free! Federal land at its finest.

Eruption Schedule: Highly unpredictable. Minor eruptions can happen every 8 to 15 hours. Majors? Could be 24+ hours. Or five minutes after you show up. Who knows?

Tip: Bring a camp chair, snacks, and a sense of humor.

Bonus: There are colorful mineral deposits around the site. Great for pictures even if the geyser doesn't erupt.