Five things
#1. Flaming Geyser is in the middle of what was once King County’s coal belt. A California company found high-quality coal in the area in 1873, and by 1875 coal had surpassed timber as the county’s biggest industry. Nearby Black Diamond and Franklin (the latter is a ghost town within the Green River Gorge State Conservation Area) were founded as coal towns. By 1885, commercial coal production was well established near Black Diamond. As we drove through, Mr. Adventure remarked, “Now I understand why the town is named Black Diamond.”
#2. Trains were needed to transport timber, coal, and other resources, and most trains were coal-fired. To move coal to market and at the same time have a handy place to take on fuel, the Northern Pacific Railroad extended its Columbia & Puget Sound line to Black Diamond, then Franklin. A 1902 article in Coast Magazine extolled, “Among the localities most favored with opportunities for the pursuit of pleasure and the quest for wealth we find situated along the Green River… Here are found unlimited quantities of the finest coal… Here the scenery is resplendent with the grandeur and sublimity of the wonderful handiwork which has formed and fashioned the beautiful and artistic in nature.” Such hyperbole was typical of the time, as was the notion that we could enjoy both unlimited natural resources and unending magnificent scenery. Unfortunately, tailings piles still visible in the area and years of degraded water quality give the lie to such promises. As oil became a viable fuel source for trains, the demand for coal fell. The last underground coal mine in Washington, the Rogers No. 3 mine at Ravensdale, shut in 1975.
#3. Flaming Geyser got its name from a 1911 test drill for coal that hit a bubbling methane gas pocket more than 1000 feet underground. When lit, it made a jet of flame that rose up to three feet tall. Thus, the “geyser” in the park’s name refers to the methane seep and the “flaming” to what happened when it was ignited. In the 1920s, an entrepreneur operated a private resort, Flaming Geyser Park, centered around this unusual feature. Remnants of the resort are visible in the concrete basin where the flame once burned and in the old resort lodge, renamed in 2009 for Wolf Bauer, a Seattle conservationist who was the brains behind the creation of the Green River Gorge State Conservation Area and a fascinating figure in his own right. By the 1960s, the resort had gone bankrupt and State Parks bought the land. Over the years, the flame dwindled as the methane pocket burned out, and today visitors can see only the rather disappointing base of cracked concrete and river cobbles from which the flame emanated. How I would have loved to see the flaming geyser when it still spit fire toward the sky, and wander among the pools and fountains on the grounds.
#4. Near the geyser basin, a trail leads a few hundred feet up Cristy Creek to Bubbling Geyser, where weird, pale gray, trailing filaments oscillate at the edge of the water, emitting an oddly satisfying sulfur smell. An Eagle Scout-built platform offers safe viewing.
#5. A few miles from the park proper, State Parks owns an old farmstead property held for future recreational development. Judging by the “DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT PARKING HERE” signs in front of neighboring driveways and yards, residents don’t seem too thrilled by state park visitors here. But there is a large legitimate parking area, so we hung our Discover Pass on the rearview mirror and explored. The large barn seems like a perfect place for environmental education if it’s ever restored. The river has reclaimed some of this land, too, although the drained area still sports an overgrown orchard, and a raised road leads into the forest above. If you’re looking for solitude at Flaming Geyser, this old farmstead is the place. Just don’t expect river access.
Fast Facts about Flaming Geyser State Park
- 503-acre, day-use park, open year-round
- 3 miles river shoreline
- restrooms
- picnic tables, grills, picnic shelters, playground, sports fields
- hiking, biking, horseback riding, birding, wildlife viewing, radio-controlled aircraft flying
- freshwater fishing, swimming, kayaking
- Discover Pass required, $10 daily or, for a very reasonable $30, purchase an annual pass
- campsites, cabins, yurts, group camps, vacation houses, kitchen and picnic shelters, marina spots, and retreat centers vary by park and are reservable online
- park brochure
- park map
Land Acknowledgment
Flaming Geyser State Park occupies the traditional and unceded lands of the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, who have lived and travelled here since time immemorial.
Ah the flaming geyser. It reminds of the sad geyser I saw just recently in Iceland which barely sputtered out of the ground. Once you have seen Old Faithful, it’s hard to get excited about anything else. Keep up your great work!
The sulfuric pool up the trail from the extinct (tapped out?) geyser is pretty cool, at least. I bet Iceland has some impressive geysers somewhere…
There is a book on Wolf Bauer, but it difficult to find. The title is Crags, Eddies, & Riprap. The Sound Country Memoir of Wolf Bauer. Written by Wolf Bauer and Lynn Hyde. Published by Northwest Passage Press; Seattle Washington; ISBN 978-0-615-33353-3. Wolf was honored by the Washington State legislature on his 100th birthday. He had a fascinating life. Worth reading if you can find it.
Thanks for the tip, Martin, and for your comment! Wolf Bauer is a fascinating figure; it would be nice to see some interpretation about him at the lodge at Flaming Geyser.
When I was a kid, we used to ride our bikes from Kent to the Flaming Geyser Resort. The Geyser, at that time, came up inside of an old oil drum with a hole in the top. We would burn through books of matches, trying to get one in the hole, to light off the methane. When it did, we would get about 3 feet of flame out of the top of the barrel!! Great memories!!
Wow, David, that is amazing. I wonder if the geyser ever ignited more than three feet; in the sources I read, that seemed to be its maximum. What a great memory. Thanks for sharing!