Moderate, 2.94 mi out and back
587 ft elevation gain
Hiked 10/11/24
Bluesky Video with a wide view of the pools and the ‘screaming’ of air leaving the hydrothermal vents.
A short trip to Hell, surrounded by the slight screams of air escaping from hydrothermal vents. This adventure takes you down to a couple of boardwalks around active geothermal mudpots and boiling pools of liquid pyrite and acidic-loving cyanobacteria. Please stay on the boardwalks to avoid injuries.
A serene setting along the early trail among evergreens, concealing the ‘hell’ that awaits further along.
Looking out from the rocky outcrop that makes an early viewpoint towards what I believe is Pilot Pinnacle.
A steaming and bubbling pool forms above a hydrothermal vent.
Wow. Gorgeous photo that actually looks like a postcard from the planet Pluto, not California. The colors and steam make this place both stunning and genuinely unnerving, like nature’s acid spa doing its thing. Love that you included the warning about staying on the boardwalks, because this stuff will burn you and the ground can give way.
Also, sincere plea to other hikers: if I see one more selfie-taker stepping off the boardwalk for a “better angle,” I will rage. This is fragile, dangerous, and not a prop. Keep your feet where the park tells you to, take the pictures, and leave the weird little screaming vents alone.