Heart Lake Thermal Area

Heart Lake Thermal Area is a remote backcountry geothermal zone in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, accessible only by an 8-mile hike to Heart Lake through the park's wilderness backcountry, where naturally heated bicarbonate springs, geyser basins, and thermal pools emerge along the shores of the alpine lake beneath the volcanic peak of Mount Sheridan in one of Yellowstone's most pristine and least-visited thermal environments. The geothermal features here include several hot spring groups, fumaroles, and small geysers that demonstrate the extraordinary hydrothermal activity underlying the entire Yellowstone Caldera system, operating in a wilderness setting of exceptional solitude where backcountry campers and experienced hikers can experience Yellowstone's thermal resources in their most authentic and undeveloped form. Heart Lake Thermal Area represents Yellowstone's wilderness dimension — the vast backcountry where bison, grizzly bears, wolves, and volcanic activity continue beyond the reach of roads and visitor centers in a landscape of primeval natural grandeur.