Surprise Pool
Surprise Pool is a spring in Wyoming, at a recorded elevation of 2,232 m. Mount Holmes stands 3,149 m to the north, 20 miles off. The nearest named place is Great Fountain, a hot spring 0.1 miles away. Fort Henry Historic Byway passes 28 miles off. 51 named summits stand within 25 miles.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 2232 m
How to reach it
- 28.2 mi off the Fort Henry Historic Byway
Named places within 25 miles
- Great Fountain: 0.1 mi
- Firehole Spring: 0.1 mi
- Broken Egg Spring: 0.1 mi
- Octopus Spring: 0.2 mi
- Octopus: 0.2 mi
- Black Diamond Pool: 4.4 mi
- Lavender Pool: 5.1 mi
- Milk Cauldron: 5.1 mi
- Heart Spring: 5.2 mi
- Arrowhead Spring: 5.2 mi
- Porcupine Hills: 2.3 mi
- Twin Buttes: 4.0 mi
- Geyser Hill: 5.1 mi
- Corkscrew Hill: 7.1 mi
- National Park Mountain: 7.9 mi
- Whiskey Flats Picnic Area: 1.3 mi
- Nez Perce Picnic Area: 3.3 mi
- Fire Hole Picnic Area: 4.3 mi
- East Lot Picnic Area: 5.6 mi
- Spring Creek Picnic Area: 7.7 mi
- Fairy Falls: 3.5 mi
- Mystic Falls: 5.1 mi
- Cascades of the Firehole: 6.2 mi
- Kepler Cascades: 6.2 mi
- Firehole Falls: 7.1 mi
- Bacteria Mats: 1.0 mi
- Fountain Paint Pot area: 1.1 mi
- Red Spouter: 1.1 mi
- Volcanic Tableland: 1.1 mi
- Midway Geyser Basin: 1.8 mi
- Midway Bluff: 1.7 mi
- Gull Point: 18.9 mi
- Sand Point: 19.4 mi
- Rock Point: 19.4 mi
- Trilobite Point: 19.5 mi
- De Lacy Park: 7.7 mi
- Dunbar Park: 16.9 mi
- Heritage Park: 17.1 mi
- West Yellowstone Town Park: 17.2 mi
- Recreation Park: 17.4 mi
- Yellowstone Tribal Heritage Center: 5.5 mi
- Norris Geyser Basin Museum: 14.0 mi
- Museum of the National Park Ranger: 14.9 mi
- Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center: 16.9 mi
- Museum of the Yellowstone: 17.0 mi
- Queen's Laundry Bath House: 4.0 mi
- Honoring Veterans: 17.0 mi
- Old Railway Station: 23.0 mi
- Yellowstone National Park: 16.3 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of Surprise Pool. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Holmes | N 352° | 3,149 m | 19.7 mi |
| Bannock Peak | N 352° | 3,137 m | 24.8 mi |
| Mount Sheridan | SE 144° | 3,135 m | 22.9 mi |
| Antler Peak | N 356° | 3,048 m | 23.1 mi |
| Dome Mountain | N 355° | 3,018 m | 21.1 mi |
| Dunraven Peak | NE 44° | 3,008 m | 23.6 mi |
| Three Rivers Peak | N 349° | 2,976 m | 22.1 mi |
| Cook Peak | NNE 27° | 2,973 m | 23.9 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:27 | 18:57 | 19:36 |
| June solstice | 05:39 | 20:28 | 21:12 |
| September equinox | 07:11 | 18:44 | 19:22 |
| December solstice | 07:57 | 15:58 | 16:47 |
Local time (America/Denver).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Jul–Aug.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 15 | 17 | 24 | 32 | 42 | 50 | 58 | 56 | 47 | 36 | 23 | 14 |
| Precip in | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 2.8 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — OLD Faithful, 6 mi away.
Months at or above the year’s average flow: May–Jul — fullest in Jun, leanest in Feb.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean cfs | 42.4 | 40.9 | 41.2 | 51.3 | 116 | 142 | 67.3 | 52.5 | 50.1 | 50.9 | 47.5 | 44.1 |
USGS monthly mean discharge at gauge Firehole River at Old Faithful, Ynp, 5 mi 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).
- American Bison203 obs
- lodgepole pine108 obs
- Brown-headed Cowbird64 obs
- Mountain Bluebird64 obs
- arrowleaf balsamroot54 obs
- Common Raven52 obs
- Flame Skimmer45 obs
- sulfur buckwheat35 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.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/1183476466
Day trips start here
- Yellowstone National Park · 14 mi
- West Yellowstone · 17 mi
- Island Park · 27 mi
Take the scenic way to Surprise Pool.
Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.