Flaming Geyser State Park

What to expect

Flaming Geyser State Park is a pleasant riverside park in the Green River valley, about an hour southeast of Seattle. It turns up on hot spring lists because of its name. It should not. There is no hot spring at Flaming Geyser, and nowhere in the park to soak in warm water. This page exists so that nobody drives here with a towel and a swimsuit expecting one.

The “geyser” has nothing to do with geothermal heat. According to Washington State Parks, on October 4, 1911, a coal miner named Eugene Lawson drilled a test hole here looking for coal. He hit a 6.5-foot coal seam at 390 feet, then methane began escaping as the drill passed 900 feet, on its way to a final depth of 1,403 feet. When he came back a week later, gas and salt water were bubbling hard out of the hole. He lit the gas. The flame ran from a few inches to three feet high and occasionally jumped to fifteen. (Wikipedia notes that the Lawson story is partly local legend, since there is little record tying him to the site.)

That flame is what the park is named for, and it is now a shadow of itself. State Parks says the methane has depleted over time and the flame sometimes blows out, though it can usually be relit. Wikipedia, citing the Washington Trails Association, says the flame has not been lit since about 2016. Either way, expect a stone basin with a small flame at best, and quite possibly nothing at all. A short walk away, the Bubbling Geyser is a muddy pool where gas from the same pocket bubbles to the surface. It is cold.

What the park does well is ordinary outdoor time: big lawns, picnic shelters, trails through forest along the river, and a front-row seat for the fall salmon run.

Getting there

The park is at 23700 SE Flaming Geyser Road, Auburn, in southwest King County, between Auburn and Black Diamond.

• From Seattle or Tacoma: Take SR 18 to the Auburn area, then head east on SE Green Valley Road up the Green River valley to SE Flaming Geyser Road and the park entrance.
• From Black Diamond or Enumclaw: Follow SR 169 south from Black Diamond toward the Green River, then turn west on SE Green Valley Road and follow signs to the park.

The roads are paved and there is plenty of parking. The geyser and the Bubbling Geyser are both along a short walk from the parking areas, shown on the park map.

When to go

The park is open year-round from 8 a.m. to dusk.

• Fall is the best season for a visit. Salmon run up the Green River, and the park is a good place to watch them.
• Summer brings crowds for tubing and rafting on the river, picnics and volleyball. Weekdays are calmer.
• Winter is quiet and often wet. The Green River is a popular steelhead fishing spot in winter; a Washington fishing license is required.

Check the State Parks winter schedule page for any seasonal closures, and the park page for burn bans. In October 2026 a Level 1 burn ban was in effect, which still allowed fires in designated fire pits and grills.

Rules and etiquette

• Discover Pass required. $10 for one day or $45 a year, displayed in your vehicle.
• Day use only. No camping. The park closes at dusk.
• No alcohol. Alcohol is prohibited in all areas of the park.
• Dogs on leash at all times, including on trails. Clean up after them.
• Fires only in designated areas, and only when burn bans allow.
• Horses are allowed on the horse trail.
• Groups of more than 20, including shelter rentals, may need a Special Activity Permit. Call the park at 253-735-8839.
• Protect the park. Removing plants, rocks or park structures, feeding wildlife and gathering firewood are not allowed.

Where to stay nearby

There is no camping or lodging in the park.

• Kanaskat-Palmer State Park, farther up the Green River Gorge, has a campground and anchors the eastern end of the same Green River Gorge Conservation Area.
• Nolte State Park and Federation Forest State Park are other nearby state parks for day trips.
• Auburn, Enumclaw and Black Diamond have motels, food and gas within a short drive.

If you came looking for a real soak, the nearest natural hot springs to the Puget Sound area are well outside the city. Baker Hot Springs, on the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest north of Concrete, is a primitive forest pool. For a developed soak, Carson Hot Springs Resort and Bonneville Hot Springs Resort & Spa are both in the Columbia River Gorge.

Safety notes

• Cold, moving water. The Green River runs cold year-round. State Parks advises following cold water safety rules. Wear a life jacket for tubing or paddling, and swim only in designated areas.
• Whitewater upstream. The gorge above the park is for experienced whitewater paddlers only. Do not float into it on an inner tube.
• Gas seep. Do not lean over the geyser basin or try to light the gas yourself. Methane is flammable and the flame, when lit, is unpredictable.
• Mud at the Bubbling Geyser. The ground around it is soft. Stay on the path.

History

E.W. Wiese opened a private park at the geyser in 1925, with picnic grounds, a pool with a diving board and other amenities. By the mid-1960s the Washington Recreation Company owned it, and after health violations a Superior Court judge ordered it closed in August 1965. Conservationist Wolf Bauer campaigned to protect the Green River Gorge, and the state began buying the land in October 1969. Flaming Geyser opened as a state park in July 1975. Wikipedia’s photo caption notes that the flame burned much higher before the 1960s.