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Kīlauea Volcano underwent major transformations when it erupted in the summer of 2018. See changed landscapes in and around Kīlauea Caldera from Steaming Bluff, where steam escapes from hot spots just below your feet! Behind the bluff, a hydrothermal area called Sulphur Banks displays colorful mineral deposits, accompanied by eggy smells. Sulphur Banks Trail – Crater Rim Trail Loop starts from Kīlauea Visitor Center, takes a boardwalk through the Sulphur Banks, stops at Steaming Bluff, and then circles back through rainforest along Crater Rim Trail. ...Read more.

Waimangu Volcanic Valley is an incredible hydrothermal area near Rotorua in the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand. Walk down the valley to get close to Frying Pan Lake, a mesmerizing blue pool that is the largest hot spring in the world. Cross a landscape shaped by a volcanic eruption in 1886, passing hydrothermal features and the site of what had been world's tallest geyser. ...Read more.

Some amazing parts of Waimangu Volcanic Valley are best visited on foot, but others can only be seen by boat. On the Lake Rotomahana Boat Cruise, you'll be swept around a large lake near Rotorua in the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand. The lake was created after a volcanic eruption in 1886 and the area is still geothermally active. The boat gets close to steaming vents and geysers right along the lakeshore. ...Read more.

What is a thermal wonderland? It's exactly that – an exceptional landscape of geothermal features like large colorful hot springs, steaming fumaroles, spouting geysers, bubbling mud pots, sinter terraces, and even waterfalls. Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland is incredible, and outside of Yellowstone National Park, there's almost nowhere else like it on Earth. ...Read more.

Impressive hydrothermal features surround Rotorua on the North Island of New Zealand. Kerosene Creek is one of the easiest to visit, and it's also free. After a brief walk, hop in a steaming stream and soak in a pool below a short waterfall. They don't call it Kerosene Creek for nothing, but you can forgive the harsh small as you relax in this refreshing hot pool. ...Read more.

Norris Geyser Basin is one of Yellowstone's prime hydrothermal areas, found on the west side of the park, several miles north of Old Faithful. Norris Geyser Basin is split into two areas, Porcelain Basin and the Back Basin. Each area has its own set of trails. The Porcelain Basin side of Norris Geyser Basin can be explored on two easy boardwalk loops. ...Read more.

Norris Geyser Basin is home to Steamboat Geyser, the tallest geyser in the world, found on Back Basin Trail. You'll have to get quite lucky to see Steamboat at full strength, as the geyser can go 50 years between major eruptions. Back Basin Trail is a 1.75-mile loop passing numerous hot springs and geysers. You can cut that distance in half by exploiting a shortcut just past Steamboat Geyser. ...Read more.

Sixty-percent of the world's geysers are found in Yellowstone National Park and the most famous of all is Old Faithful Geyser. Like Biscuit Basin, Old Faithful is found in Yellowstone's Upper Geyser Basin, an incredible one square mile area that contains over 150 geysers. Old Faithful Geyser has soaring bursts and is one of Yellowstone's most predictable geysers, erupting about every 90 minutes. ...Read more.

Yellowstone National Park has several hydrothermal areas, so what makes the Fountain Paint Pot Area worth visiting? For starters, this part of Lower Geyser Basin has all four of the hydrothermal features found in the park (mudpots, geysers, hot springs, and fumaroles) and you can see them all from a compact half-mile long boardwalk loop. While none of the many Fountain Paint Pot Area geysers are as famous as Old Faithful, they erupt so frequently that you are almost guaranteed a great show on your short hike. ...Read more.

If you subscribe to the mantra go big or go home, do not leave Yellowstone without visiting Midway Geyser Basin. The main attraction on this 0.8-mile boardwalk is Grand Prismatic Spring, the largest hot spring in Yellowstone National Park. The easy loop also passes Excelsior Geyser, a steaming pool of vibrant blue water that isn't far behind in the contest over surface area. ...Read more.