Fly Ranch Geyser, Nevada.

Fly Geyser is a very little known tourist attraction, even to Nevada residents. It is located right near the edge of Fly Reservoir and is only about 5 feet high, 12 feet if you count the mound on which it sits. The Geyser is not an entirely natural phenomenon, and was accidentally created in 1916 during the drilling of a well. The well functioned normally for several decades, but then in the 1960s geothermally heated water found a weak spot in the wall and began escaping to the surface. Dissolved minerals started rising and piling up, creating the mount on which the geyser sits, offering an eerie, out-of-the-world sight. The mound is still growing to date.

Fly Geyser is located on the private Fly Ranch currently owned by Todd Jaksick and is accessible only by a small private dirt road. The geyser is protected from trespassers by a high fence and a locked gate with several metal spokes on the top, but despite the booby traps, many people still prefer to jump the fence to get a better look. Several organizations have tried to purchase the land for conservation, and make it open to the public, but have been denied.

Fly Geyser is located approximately 20 miles (32 km) north of Gerlach, in Washoe County, Nevada, less than a mile from State Route 34. The Geyser is about 1/3 miles from the road and is large enough to be seen from the road.

There are actually two geysers on the property. The first was created nearly 100 years ago as part of an effort to make a part of the desert usable for farming. A well was drilled and geothermal boiling water (200 degrees) was hit. Obviously not suitable for irrigation water, this geyser was left alone and a 10 to 12 foot calcium carbonate cone formed.

In 1964 a geothermic energy company drilled a test well at the same site. The water they struck was that same 200 degrees - hot, but not hot enough for their purposes. The well was supposedly re-sealed, but apparently it did not hold. The new geyser, a few hundred feet north of the original, robbed the first of its water pressure and the cone now lays dry.

This second geyser, known as Fly Geyser, has grown substantially in the last 40 years as minerals from the geothermal water pocket deposit on the desert surface. Because there are multiple geyser spouts, this geyser has not created a cone as large as the first, but an ever growing alien looking mound. The geyser is covered with thermophilic algae, which flourishes in moist, hot environments, resulting in the multiple hues of green and red that add to its out-of-this-world appearance.

The geyser is on Fly Ranch, is private property and trespassing is illegal. However, if you drive to neighboring town Gerlach and go to Bruno's restaurant they can put you in contact with the owners who do day tours of the spring for seasonal pricing ($25-$50 a day.)
No camping, no fires.