Flaming Geyser State Park

When Sean and I found ourselves with our first weekend off together in over a year and a half, we knew we had to do something awesome. Then when we woke up on Saturday morning and saw that the sun was shining for the first time weeks (or so it felt) we knew it had to be something EPIC. But then we decided to make breakfast...and coffee...and talk for a while...and before we knew it, it was already 11:00am and we were having people over for dinner later that night. Dang. We settled on Flaming Geyser State Park because it was close to us and it wasn't high on our list of exciting parks to visit. Boy, were we wrong! So far on our travels it's been one of our favorite experiences!

We decided to take the long way there and drove along the scenic and winding Green Valley Road, which has always been one of my favorites! While in the car, we saw hoards of fishermen on the river and I mentioned to Sean that someday I would love to see salmon spawning again. I had seen them on the Cedar River as a kid and didn't know whether to expect them on the Green River, so we decided that we'd go looking for them some other time.

(Welcome!)

We rolled into the park in a blaze of mint-green station wagon glory and after my ritualistic ISPR (Inspection of State Park Restrooms) we headed straight for the river to see what we could see. 

As soon as we arrived at the river bank, my left eye started twitching, a long buried memory surfaced and I found myself doing my "Salmon Call" that my dad and I had made up over 15 years ago. Sean looked at me like I'd lost my mind and then he did it too (what a guy). Not less than 20 seconds later, a GIANT. RED. SALMON. swam up to the shoreline, gave us a lingering stare, swished his tail at us and raced off into the shadows. I was beside myself, "Sean!!! It WORKED! My salmon call worked!" We continued to call the salmon until it was obvious that they were being capricious, so we went in search of them instead.  

(Sean crossing the creek to get a better view of the salmon)

We found an awesome little interpretive trail along the river where we found tons of salmon making their way upstream. The best little spot was at the end of the trail where there were stairs down to Cristy Creek and we were literally a foot away from the warring and struggling salmon! Sean was enthralled with two huge King salmon who were fighting over a beautiful damsel and even got splashed a few times during their battle. 

(Sean watching the salmon in Cristy Creek)

We couldn't get over how we weren't expecting to see any salmon and yet here were hundreds of them that we could almost reach out and touch! We lost track of time during this awesome experience and found ourselves watching them for over an hour and a half! 

(Two of the dueling salmon. You can just see the other one's dorsal fin in the background)

(These were the two I was watching fight their way upstream)

When our legs started falling asleep from crouching so long, we decided to head out in search of the famous "flaming geyser." I'd heard from many a friend that it wasn't all that awe inspiring, but we knew we had to check it out for ourselves anyway. I mean, come on...any amount of smelly gas coming up from the ground that you can light on fire is cool, no matter how you look at it. We found it within minutes and promptly blew out the flame so Sean could light it on fire again. Yay! This is what the "geyser" looks like. Take a good look. Now when you visit the park you can have an accurate expectation of what you'll find and everyone can quit complaining about how disappointed they are when they visit and enjoy themselves regardless! Pet peeve. Sorry. Moving on! 

(Sean lighting the gas on fire again)

Apparently this little flame used to be quite a bit bigger, a true testament to its name. In the early 1900s coal miners were drilling a test hole when they hit a layer of salt water and methane gas at 1000 feet of depth. Despite early beliefs that there was a giant dairy farm hidden beneath the ground, it is in fact a natural methane pocket that generated enough gas to fuel a flame that could reach heights of up to twenty-five feet! 

(Rachel dorking out over the flaming earth gas)

After we took obligatory photos with the small flame, we headed out on a gorgeous walk through the picnic area under the turning maple trees. We kicked up crunchy leaves, climbed trees, and laid on the grass and leaves in the warm, autumn sunshine. We've been to this park in other seasons before, but have never seen it as breathtaking as in the fall. The turning leaves combined with the salmon spawning make this an especially spectacular park to visit from September through November!

(a path leading through the fallen leaves)

(looking through the park from the geyser)

(the path along the creek where the salmon were spawning)

We walked along the river towards the play area, enjoying the scenery, when we saw this grand tree being lit from behind by the afternoon sun. I couldn't resist its allure and was pleased to find that its trunk made the perfect lounging spot for a peaceful rest. 

 (Rachel sunning in a majestic maple)

(Looking from the giant maple towards the river)

Sean and I hung out in the tree for a while intermittently chatting and listening the river run by until it was time to head home for dinner. In spite of the fact that we hadn't been expecting much of anything when we visited this park, we had one of the most joyful and fun trips so far on our tour. 

This park is known for its river rafting and tubing in the summer, salmon spawning in the fall, and has an RC Airplane field for year-round fun. The picnic area is expansive and there is a playground for the kiddos. There are trails on the hill adjacent to the river, though we didn't check them out, and there are numerous interpretive signs along the main loop. We saw many people at the park that day enjoying the salmon and the sun on this beautiful Saturday, which was really awesome! It made us happy to see people taking the time out of their weekend to come out and visit one of our wonderful state parks!

For more information please visit: Complete information for Flaming Geyser (parks.wa.gov)

                                                          Washington Trails Association: Flaming Geyser

Happy Adventuring!

-Rachel and Sean 

Location of Flaming Geyser State Park:

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