The World's Only Man-Made Geyser Is 2 Hours From Twin Falls

Those of us who live in the Magic Valley are spoiled when it comes to natural beauty. When it comes geysers, the world's most visited and admired can be found just a couple hours to the northeast in Yellowstone National Park.

Something I just found out this week, is that southeast Idaho is unique in itself when it comes to these spouting wonders. The Soda Springs Geyser has the distinction of being the only man-made one on the planet. How has this avoided my radar all these years?

The "only man-made geyser in the world?" Really? I guess when one first ponders that possibility it sounds a little hard to believe. Upon further research, I couldn't locate information pertaining to another site that makes the same claim.

How does one create a man-made geyser you might ask? According to the site history, some guy looking for access to a geothermal pool created the geyser on accident after he drilled into the spot more than 80 years ago. Its been blasting gas and hot water 150 feet into the air ever since, and has resulted in waves of tourists stopping by the Soda Springs site to see it for themselves.

Soda Springs is 170 miles east of Twin Falls. Eruption times last on average between two and five minutes, according to information found on the city's library website. A YouTube video from April of 2020 shows the geyser in action.