Flaming Geyser State Park

The park is located at the upstream end of Green River, where it enters a gorge. This is one of the best places I’ve seen anywhere for taking a stroll through nature; the path is moist but not muddy, and well trimmed, with breathtaking natural scenes like this. A veritable Garden of Eden. This post is an overview of the park; I discuss the geology and flora in other posts.

With a name like that, I’m expecting a spectacular show…

I’ll summarize what you can read if you zoom in on the information presented in this billboard. An exploratory well was drilled here about 100 year ago, looking for coal–they found it, along with methane (natural gas) and other gases produced by decaying vegetation at several hundred feet below the surface. The small well produced a flammable gas that has burned intermittently since it was first lit by a geologist.

Flaming geyser wasn’t very active when we visited, but it was burning. To repeat, this is NOT a natural seep, but the result of a well drilled a century ago. Nevertheless it has become a local tradition, and it is relit whenever it goes out.

Bubbling geyser is a lot more fun. This video shows small bubbles of methane, as well as hydrogen sulfide and other, unnamed, gases. Methane is odorless, but this area smelled strongly of H₂S, which is added to natural gas to help detect leaks.

This is a beautiful example of survival. The surface roots have all been exposed by erosion, but the tree is thriving; its roots have turned into separate trunks. I read somewhere that these conifers in the PNW send their roots out for hundreds of feet, far beyond their canopies.

This is where Green River Valley turns into Green River Gorge. The water was perfectly clear, with a slight green tinge, even though there is no algae visible. It reminds me of Commencement Bay, which is also devoid of aquatic plants. And it is all natural, simply a unique ecosystem.

If you wear waders, you can walk on water here.

Final Thoughts

This is a place you have to visit for yourself, especially on such a gorgeous summer day. The temperature was in the mid-seventies, the sky was clear, and people were filling the huge number of picnic areas, carrying their supplies and tubes, ready for a fun day of floating down one of the best rivers I’ve ever seen.

You’ve got to see it for yourself.