Did you ever wonder just how faithful the geyser, "Old Faithful," is?

By David McClelland

Our National Parks began in 1872 with the opening of Yellowstone which covers portions of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming and is a massive 2,219,790.71 acres. This Park has 4 mountain ranges and 60 mammal species. There are hot springs and geysers with Old Faithful and Grand Prismatic Spring being the best known. The next two National Parks to open were Sequoia and Yosemite in 1890 in California. New National Parks must be approved by an act of the U.S. Congress. The newest National Park is Great Sand Dunes, established in 2004 in Colorado.

As stated above, Old Faithful is the best known of the geysers at Yellowstone. It is a cone geyser located in Wyoming. It was named in 1870 during the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition and was the first geyser in the park to receive a name.

The geyser, as well as nearby Old Faithful Inn, is part of the Old Faithful Historic District. I've been told by a friend who visits Yellowstone every year, without fail, that staying at Old Faithful Inn is a most memorable and enjoyable experience. The beauty of the entire park is amazing and it could take many visits to see it all.

Old Faithful's eruptions can shoot up to 8,400 gallons of boiling water to heights averaging 145 feet and last from 1.5 to 5 minutes each time. The highest recorded eruption was 185 feet. How faithful is it? The intervals between eruptions range from 45 minutes to 125 minutes. So, as you can see, you can't set your watch by Old Faithful, but if you visit the park, you are sure to witness this famous geyser's eruption at least once and you may watch it for about 45 minutes each time. It is an experience you won't soon forget.

Old Faithful is not the tallest or largest geyser at Yellowstone. That title belongs to the less predictable, Steamboat Geyser, but a geyser still worth seeing on you visit. Grand Prismatic Spring is the other great attraction you won't want to miss.

One other piece of the Yellowstone history. It appears that the park got its name from the Yellowstone River which flows some 670 miles from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in Wyoming to the Montana/North Dakota border. The sandstone along the way is yellow in appearance.

To learn more about Yellowstone and Old Faithful and to actually watch this geyser erupt, visit "A day in the life of Old Faithful Geyser, a timelapse video" at YouTube.com.