Flaming Geyser Washington State Park

Flaming Geyser State Park is a 480-acre day use park located between Auburn, Washington and Black Diamond, Washington in the Green River Gorge of King County. Named for the famous Flaming Geyser, Flaming Geyser State Park has been in existence since the 1920s and became a public park in the 1960s. Prior to the 1960s, it was operated as a private resort then, facing bankruptcy, it was saved from becoming a home development when the Washington State Parks system took over operations.

Once featured on Ripley's Believe It or Not, the Flaming Geyser used to reach heights exceeding 20 feet, but now it's more of a flicker and generally doesn't rise more than a foot out of the concrete cylinder that houses the flame in a rock pit. Apparently it sometimes even goes out (or is put out by visitors), but can be easily relit.

The Flaming Geyser is located just a short, easy walk from the parking lot and is just barely worth the walk so you can snap a photo and say you've seen it. To see the Bubbling Geyser (caused by methane bubbling up in a natural spring) the walk is a little longer and includes a couple of steep parts, but is still easy to get to. It isn't much to look at and mostly just looks like a small natural spring with a few lazy bubbles now and then. The coolest part about the Bubbling Geyser is probably the gray earth all around it and beneath where the water runs.

Unless methane-based natural phenomena really gets you going, the Flaming Geyser and the Bubbling Geyser are not that exhilarating and are hardly worth the short walk from the parking lot. However, the park has a lot more to offer than just a couple of geysers. There are four miles of hiking trails that wind among the ferns beneath a beautiful green canopy, an area for flying remote control airplanes and helicopters, miles of freshwater shoreline to enjoy and lots of open space for picnicking, games and barbecues.

The area surrounding the park (and parts of the park itself) was first harvested for timber and then mined for coal; however, nature has been allowed to reign for some time now and trees, ferns and local flora abound.

The Flaming Geyser State Park is at the downstream end of the Green River Gorge, which means you will see lots of adventurous folks pulling their rafts out of the water after partaking in the white water rafting that is one of the area's popular draws. The waters are calm around the park and are great for getting in some tubing, kayaking, or just floating around.

While there is no camping and no alcohol allowed at Flaming Geyser State Park, the day use area offers covered picnic areas, barbecue stands and over 170 picnic tables scattered throughout the vast lawns and trees.

Flaming Geyser State Park is open daily, year round from 8:00am to dusk. For more information about the park and its amenities, visit the Washington State Parks website at www.parks.wa.gov. To reserve a sheltered picnic area, call (888) CAMPOUT.

Sources:

www.stateparks.com

www.parks.wa.gov