Cistern Spring
Cistern Spring is a spring in Wyoming, at a modelled elevation of 2,292 m. Joseph Peak stands 3,176 m to the north-northwest, 19 miles off. The nearest named place is Steamboat Geyser, a attraction 0.1 miles away.
How to reach it
Named places within 25 miles
- Root Pool: 0.1 mi
- Crater Spring: 0.1 mi
- Dishwater Spring: 0.1 mi
- Dog's Leg Spring: 0.1 mi
- Sulphur Pot: 0.1 mi
- Medusa Spring: 0.4 mi
- Frying Pan Bowl: 2.2 mi
- Frying Pan Spring: 2.2 mi
- Roadside Spring East (MNCNN031): 2.3 mi
- Roadside Spring West (MNCNN030): 2.4 mi
- Gibbon Hill: 1.5 mi
- 8124 ft: 2.5 mi
- Paintpot Hill: 2.8 mi
- 8271 ft: 3.1 mi
- 8041 ft: 3.1 mi
- Norris Meadows Picnic Area: 0.9 mi
- Gibbon Meadows Picnic Area: 2.4 mi
- Virginia Cascades Picnic Area: 3.5 mi
- Caldera Rim Picnic Area: 4.9 mi
- Iron Springs Picnic Area: 5.4 mi
- Steamboat Geyser: 0.1 mi
- Back Basin: 0.2 mi
- Norris Geyser Basin: 0.3 mi
- Porcelain Basin: 0.4 mi
- Clearwater Springs: 4.9 mi
- Virginia Cascades: 2.8 mi
- Gibbon Falls: 5.8 mi
- Crystal Falls: 10.0 mi
- Upper Yellowstone Falls: 10.1 mi
- Firehole Falls: 10.2 mi
- Obsidian Cliff: 6.9 mi
- Trilobite Point: 9.4 mi
- Sheepeater Cliffs: 14.6 mi
- Midway Bluff: 15.0 mi
- Overhanging Cliff: 19.6 mi
- Willow Park: 10.1 mi
- De Lacy Park: 19.3 mi
- Dunbar Park: 19.9 mi
- West Yellowstone Town Park: 19.9 mi
- Heritage Park: 20.0 mi
- Norris Geyser Basin Museum: 0.2 mi
- Museum of the National Park Ranger: 1.1 mi
- Yellowstone Tribal Heritage Center: 19.2 mi
- Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center: 19.9 mi
- Museum of the Yellowstone: 20.0 mi
- Queen's Laundry Bath House: 13.7 mi
- Honoring Veterans: 19.9 mi
- Yellowstone National Park: 12.7 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 20.5 miles of Cistern Spring. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Peak | NNW 332° | 3,176 m | 18.5 mi |
| Mount Holmes | NW 312° | 3,149 m | 10.0 mi |
| Gray Peak | NNW 330° | 3,139 m | 17.6 mi |
| Bannock Peak | NW 325° | 3,137 m | 14.3 mi |
| Mount Washburn | ENE 69° | 3,122 m | 14.2 mi |
| Antler Peak | NNW 327° | 3,048 m | 12.0 mi |
| Quadrant Mountain | NNW 333° | 3,034 m | 14.0 mi |
| Little Quadrant Mountain | NNW 335° | 3,022 m | 17.5 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:27 | 18:57 | 19:35 |
| June solstice | 05:38 | 20:28 | 21:13 |
| September equinox | 07:11 | 18:44 | 19:22 |
| December solstice | 07:58 | 15:57 | 16:46 |
Local time (America/Denver).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Jun–Sep.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 22 | 23 | 31 | 38 | 47 | 56 | 65 | 63 | 54 | 41 | 29 | 21 |
| Precip in | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 0.9 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Yellowstone Park Mammoth, 18 mi away.
Months at or above the year’s average flow: Nov–May — fullest in Apr, leanest in Jul.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean cfs | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 4.5 |
USGS monthly mean discharge at gauge Tantalus Creek at Norris Junction, Ynp, under a mile away — the nearest gauge, which can sit on a different stream.
Inside the official boundary of Yellowstone National Park. Quietest months by visitation: Nov and Mar; busiest: Jul.
NPS visitation statistics, monthly averages 2021–2025 (2020 excluded).
- lodgepole pine115 obs
- American Bison109 obs
- woodland pinedrops76 obs
- Common Raven56 obs
- Snowshoe Hare47 obs
- Wapiti40 obs
- Common Sagebrush Lizard31 obs
- star-flowered lily-of-the-valley29 obs
Research-grade iNaturalist community observations within 3 km — what people have recorded, not a species inventory.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/261040419
Day trips start here
- Yellowstone National Park · 11 mi
- West Yellowstone · 20 mi
- Gardiner · 21 mi
Take the scenic way to Cistern Spring.
Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.