California’s Old Faithful Geyser is a Little-Known Attraction (and It Predicts Earthquakes)

Not able to afford a trip to Yellowstone National Park, but find yourself in California instead? For those who want to see a geyser erupt on a regular schedule, consider California’s Old Faithful. Every 5-55 minutes, depending on the time of year, Old Faithful of California shoots boiling water into the air, its plume reaching 20-80 feet (6-24 meters) high. Most people have never heard of this geyser, which sits in the caldera of an ancient volcano and is right across the road from a vineyard.

There are only three geysers in the world that keep up such a loyal schedule. The most famous is Yellowstone’s Old Faithful, perhaps the most photographed geyser in the world. The second one, New Zealand’s Pohutu Geyser, is also quite dependable. And this geyser, California’s Old Faithful, is located in Calistoga, California, at the northern end of the famous Napa Valley wine region.

Yes, this geyser is in Napa Valley, so nothing comes cheap. After all, Calistoga is just up the road from pricey institutions like Screaming Eagle Winery (where bottles routinely sell for over $500) and French Laundry in Yountville (named several times as the world’s best restaurant, where a fixed price dinner costs $310 per person). The nearest McDonald’s is a 30 minute drive away.

But if you’re in Napa Valley anyway and need something to do besides enjoying the nearby wines and hot springs, Old Faithful is worth a stop. If you’re there in the wintertime, the geyser shoots off very frequently, every 5-15 minutes. In the summertime, you can be waiting as long as 55 minutes between eruptions, but they will be larger ones.

But if you’re there at earthquake time, all bets are off.

That’s right! This geyser is an oracle. California’s Old Faithful has accurately predicted most of Northern California’s notable earthquakes. When its eruption schedule is irregular, that’s a telltale sign that a quake is coming to the region. Irregular eruptions tend to occur up to two weeks before a notable earthquake.

The Weekly Calistogan, 1994 article.

Most recently, it predicted the 2014 Napa earthquake, as the news video below explains. The day before that earthquake, the geyser’s schedule stretched out to about 90 minutes between eruptions. The next day, a 6.0 earthquake hit the region.

Source: KRON TV

Speaking of earth movements, Calistoga is sitting in the crater of a volcano. The mountains around it are a rim. That’s why there are geysers and hot springs in the area as well as tons of small earthquakes, most too weak for people to notice. Its volcanic nature is reminiscent of Yellowstone as well, since Yellowstone’s geysers sit in the caldera of its supervolcano, also rimmed by mountains.

Just a few miles from Old Faithful geyser in Calistoga, there is another roadside tourist trap called the Petrified Forest. You may have encountered one of these in another part of the country or world. Near Calistoga, there is a grove of Redwood trees that was turned to stone in a volcanic eruption. Like the volcanoes in Hawaii, this is known as a shield volcano and it spread out over a wide area. The trees were petrified three million years ago, which was the volcano’s most recent eruption (if that makes you feel any safer).

These Napa Valley grapes are growing in the caldera of an ancient volcano and the mountains around it are its rim. Source: Winery Inn.

At first glance, the geyser's entry fees of $15 for adults and $9 for kids seems high for a few seconds of boiling water and steam. But this is Napa Valley, where prices are not exactly cheap. Also, there are other activities once you gain admission to the property. It isn’t Disneyland, so there are no rides. But the current owners are doing a nice job focusing on educating visitors and providing a pleasant place to spend some time.

The first of these peripheral activities is a small museum. It does a suitable job describing the geology of the area and the science of geysers. There are some visual displays to make this more interesting. The property also includes a garden and some nicely landscaped grounds where you could have a picnic.

But for children, the other big attraction is the animals. There are goats, sheep, and even a few llamas. You can meet them, feed them some grass, and tell everyone back home that you saw some exotic animals. I’m not joking, actually, because even though these are hooved farm animals, there are some unusual breeds.

One of these breeds is the Tennessee Fainting Goats. They have a genetic condition which can cause their nervous system to stiffen for a period of time (hence the “fainting” label). We did not observe this while we were there and I’m not sure how often the goats actually “faint”. But it must be less regular than the geyser on the other side of the field.

Fainting goats. Author photo.

Four-horned sheep. Source: Creative Commons via Wikimedia by Ed Bierman.

The sheep are Jacob’s Four-Horned Sheep. In reality, they have between two and six horns apiece, but most commonly four. And the llamas are llamas. If you make friends with llamas, they might even spit in your face. A llama geyser with a side of wheatgrass and probiotics. What does that cost at a gourmet smoothie shop in nearby St. Helena or Yountville? Probably a week’s wages.

If you happen to be in Napa Valley and want a unique experience, I recommend visiting the geyser. It’s something you can see in only a few places in the world. And at your next cocktail party, you’ll be able to mention the four-horned sheep, spitting llamas, and fainting goats as well. Plus, if you get bored with the spouting water and the exotic hooved animals, you won’t need to wait for a cocktail party. The nearest winery is just down the road...and they have horses.

Source: Tamber Bey Vineyards.