Wyoming

Why The Heck … Does Wyoming’s Rare Periodic Spring Turn Itself On And Off?

Published

2 years ago

May 4, 2024

Why The Heck … Does Wyoming’s Rare Periodic Spring Turn Itself On And Off?

The on-again, off-again stream in Swift Creek Canyon is a rare geological feature located about 5 miles east of Afton, Wyoming. So rare, it is probably one of only a handful in the world.

The natural spring cycles on and off at regular intervals, earning it the name Periodic Spring, or sometimes Intermittent Spring. Folklore often labels the feature “The Spring That Breathes,” and while that moniker sounds Native American-like, there is no evidence supporting First Nation peoples in the Star Valley area ever even knew of it.

What is known is that an ice-cold stream that is 100% drinkable runs down a mountainside one minute and dries up the next.

Thirsty? Fear not. The wait between flows is usually less than 20 minutes.

Springing To Life

Olympic gold medalist wrestler Rulon Gardner’s great-great-grandfather discovered this phenomenon in August 1894.

While logging up in Swift Creek Canyon just east of Afton, Bruce Gardner found an unnamed spring that fed Spring Creek to be very tasty to a parched logger. The trouble was the spring would be running full bore one minute and dried up the next. Its flows weren’t unreliable, just intermittent.

The spring is known as a “rhythmic spring.” There are reportedly only a handful of these in the world, and Period Spring is supposedly the largest.

The classification of Periodic Spring as a rhythmic spring remains an educated guess. This particular feature in Wyoming is often denoted as an underground cold-water geyser, but that’s not technically correct.

Cold-water geysers are a rare phenomenon known around the world. Germany’s Andernach is the highest spouting and the Herľany Geyser, discovered in 1872 in Slovakia, blows its top only once a day.

Cold-water geysers are similar to their geothermal counterparts like Old Faithful. The difference is, Old Faithful uses heat generated by a layer of basaltic magma to boil water to the steam-driven point it explodes to the surface.

Sometimes called soda pop geysers, cold-water geysers use underground pockets of CO2 to push water to the surface.

Crystal Geyser just outside of Green River, Utah, is probably the best-known of these. It was accidentally “created” in 1936 when exploratory oil drilling unknowingly tapped into a carbon dioxide-charged aquifer.

The underground nature of Periodic Spring near Afton means you cannot see the eruption spout. But you certainly can hear it as it gurgles in a cave perched atop a heavily-wooded hillside above Swift Creek.

Much like Old Faithful, a period of hissing and wheezing signals flow from the springhead is about to begin. Water then rises to the lip of the underground cistern and eventually spills over. What starts as a trickle is soon a roaring rivulet, cascading its way over moss-covered rocks to its confluence with Swift Creek a quarter mile below.

For about 15 minutes, all seems normal. A delicious-looking rill bubbles to life looking like it has always been there. Stick around, though. Once the underground reservoir empties out, the flow shuts off, the streambed dries up, and all is still once again for another 15 minutes.

How It Works

“Everything about this spring is somewhat surprising. It’s an extremely unusual occurrence,” said Kip Solomon, a hydrologist at the University of Utah.

Scientists are not 100% sure what makes Periodic Spring do what is does, but they’ve made a fairly safe, educated guess.

Solomon has studied the spring probably more than anyone. He said the closest thing to it in behavior is a similar phenomenon in France.

He shared his best theory on how it works.

“As groundwater flows continuously into a cavern, it fills a narrow tube that leads out. As it pours over the high point of the tube, it creates a siphon effect, sucking water out of the chamber. Eventually, air rushes in and breaks the siphon,” Solomon assured.

Studies conducted by University of Utah in the mid-2000s confirmed no gas content in the water, strongly suggesting support for the siphon theory.

“We can’t think of another explanation at the moment,” Solomon added.

The best time to view the spring turning itself on and off is from late August through November when the water table is at its lowest and the distinction between flows is at its most distinctive.

A similar rhythmic spring called the Ebbing and Flowing Spring can be found in Hawkins County, Tennessee, near Rogersville. That spring flows for a period of 2 hours and 47 minutes, ranging from an indiscernible trickle to nearly 500 gallons per minute.

Periodic Spring is very much like an artesian well. The pristine ice-cold water and can be safely consumed right out of the ground. In fact, the Periodic Spring provides part of the water for the town of Afton. That’s the reason for the cement hood placed over the mouth of the spring to prevent rocks and other debris from falling into the opening.

The spring feeds a torrent of water down Swift Creek Canyon to a hydroelectric plant, which supplies surrounding towns with electricity.

Getting There

Locate Second Avenue in Afton, then head east out of town. The road is paved for a mile or so and then turns into a well-maintained dirt road (FR 10211) for another 4 miles. On the way, you will notice a drinking water tank maintained by the town of Afton.

The road ends about 5 miles outside of town at a parking area. You can’t miss the beginning of the trail at the far end. You are now in the Bridger-Teton National Forest, by the way.

The walk is only three-quarters of a mile on relatively flat terrain. To get to the spring, cross the Swift Canyon Creek to an area with a highly visible sign and a picnic table.

Want a close-up look at where the wellhead is? Begin the trek up along the left side of the rocky rill. Be extra cautious — the rocks near the top will be extremely slippery.

The whole area is refreshingly low-key and un-sensationalized. It is a wonder of nature, both remarkable and rare. Enjoy the serenity, tread lightly, and leave no trace.

Contact Jake Nichols at jake@cowboystatedaily.com

Two men detained in Wyoming in connection with deadly shooting at downtown Salt Lake hotel

Published

5 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Press Room

Two men detained in Wyoming in connection with deadly shooting at downtown Salt Lake hotel

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Two men were detained in Wyoming in connection with a fatal shooting at a downtown Salt Lake hotel that killed one man.

Carlos Chee, 23, and Chino Aguilar, 21, were both wanted for first-degree felony murder after the victim, identified as Christian Lee, 32, was found dead in a room at the Springhill Suites near 600 South and 300 West.

According to warrants issued for their arrest, Chee and Aguilar met with Lee and another woman at the hotel to sell marijuana. During the alleged drug deal, Aguilar allegedly shot and killed Lee after he tried to grab at his gun.

MORE | Shootings

Investigators said they found Lee dead in the room upon arrival, as well as a single shell casing on the floor and a small amount of marijuana on the television stand.

The woman told investigators she had met Chee on a dating app and that he agreed to come to the hotel to sell her marijuana. She had been hanging out with him in the room, which Lee rented for her to use, when Lee asked them to leave. Lee was then shot and killed following a brief confrontation.

Chee and Aguilar allegedly fled the scene in a 2013 Toyota Camry with a Texas license plate that was later found outside of Rock Springs, Wyoming just a few hours later.

The two men were taken into custody and detained at the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office.

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Wyoming

Man shot, critically injured by deputy during ‘disturbance’ in Rock Springs, Wyoming

Published

18 hours ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

Man shot, critically injured by deputy during ‘disturbance’ in Rock Springs, Wyoming

ROCK SPRINGS, Wyoming (KUTV) — A man was hospitalized with critical injuries after he was reportedly shot by a deputy responding to reports of a disturbance.

Deputies with the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office and officers with the Rock Springs Police Department responded to the Sweetwater Heights apartment complex in the 2100 block of Century Boulevard just after 4 a.m. on Monday to investigate reports of a disturbance involving an armed individual.

Information that dispatch received indicated that the individual had shot himself. When officials arrived, they found the individual on the balcony of an upstairs apartment “who appeared to have a gunshot wound consistent with the initial report,” a press release states.

MORE | Officer-Involved Shooting

During the encounter, a deputy discharged their weapon and struck the individual.

Emergency medical personnel rendered aid, and the individual was transported to an area hospital in critical condition.

No law enforcement officers or members of the public were injured during the incident.

The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation will conduct an independent investigation.

The deputy who fired their weapon was placed on administrative leave per standard protocol.

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Wyoming

Former House Speaker Albert Sommers seeks to win back Wyoming legislative seat

Published

1 day ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

Former House Speaker Albert Sommers seeks to win back Wyoming legislative seat

by Maggie Mullen, WyoFile

Albert Sommers, former Wyoming Speaker of the House, announced Thursday he will attempt to reclaim a seat he formerly held for more than a decade in the statehouse.

“Leadership matters,” Sommers, a lifelong cattle rancher, wrote in a press release. “Right now, the Wyoming House is too often focused on division instead of solutions. We need steady, effective leadership that solves problems—not rhetoric and political theater.”

Voters in 2013 first elected Sommers to House District 20, which encompasses Sublette County and an eastern section of Lincoln County. As a lawmaker, Sommers largely focused on health care, education and water issues. Over six terms, he rose through the ranks, serving in leadership positions and chairing committees focused on education funding and broadband.

In his announcement, Sommers highlighted his legislative work to establish funding for rural hospitals, prioritize “responsible property tax relief,” as well as the creation of the Wyoming Colorado River Advisory Committee within the State Engineer’s Office, “to ensure our water users have a voice in critical decisions affecting the Green River Valley,” he wrote.

As speaker, Sommers was a frequent target of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus as well as the DC-based State Freedom Caucus Network, even getting the attention of Fox News and other national, conservative news outlets. They often accused Sommers of not being conservative enough, and criticized him for keeping bills in “the drawer,” which has long been code for the unilateral power a speaker has to kill legislation by holding it back. (The practice of holding bills has been used to a much higher degree under Freedom Caucus leadership.)

In 2023, Sommers used the speaker’s powers to kill bills related to a school voucher program, banning instruction on gender and sexual orientation from some classrooms and criminalizing gender-affirming care for minors. At the time, Sommers defended his decision to hold back “bills that are unconstitutional, not well vetted, duplicate bills or debates, and bills that negate local control, restrict the rights of people or risk costly litigation financed by the people of Wyoming.”

He reiterated that philosophy and defended his record in his Thursday campaign announcement.

“I am a common-sense conservative who believes in getting things done. I support our core industries—oil and gas, ranching, and tourism—and I will continue to fight for the people and natural resources of Sublette County and LaBarge. I am pro-gun, pro-life, pro-family, and pro-education,” Sommers wrote. “I also take seriously my oath to uphold the U.S. and Wyoming Constitutions, which means I didn’t support bills that violated those constitutions. I read bills carefully and I voted accordingly.”

Speaker of the House Albert Sommers (R-Pinedale) stands at the center of a rules committee huddle in the House of Representatives during the 2024 budget session. (Maggie Mullen/WyoFile)

Following his term as speaker, Sommers stepped away from the House to run for Senate District 14 in 2024. He lost in the primary election to political newcomer Laura Pearson, a Freedom Caucus-endorsed Republican from Kemmerer, who also won in the general election. Her Senate win coincided with the Freedom Caucus winning control of the House.

“That race didn’t go my way, and I respected the outcome,” Sommers said in a Thursday press release. But “the direction of the Wyoming House,” since then, he said, has “raised serious concerns.”

Sommers pointed to the Freedom Caucus and its budget proposal, which, despite a funding surplus, included major cuts and funding denials. Ahead of the session, the caucus said its sights were set on shrinking spending and limiting the growth of government.

In his Thursday press release, Sommers criticized “decisions that cut food assistance for vulnerable children, reduced business opportunities, slashed funding to the University of Wyoming, eliminated resources for cheatgrass control, denied raises for state employees, and removed positions critical to protecting Wyoming’s water rights.”

Most of those proposals did not make it into the final budget bill.

Sommers also pointed to a controversy that dominated the 2026 session after a Teton County conservative activist handed out campaign checks to lawmakers on the House floor. Lawmakers in both chambers unanimously voted to ban such behavior before a House Special Investigative Committee found that the exchange did not violate the Wyoming Constitution nor did it amount to legislative misconduct. A Laramie County Sheriff’s Office criminal investigation is still underway.

But “controversies like ‘Checkgate’ undermined public trust, and decorum in the House deteriorated,” Sommers said.

“Transparency and accessibility will remain central to how I serve,” Sommers said. “As I’ve done before, I will provide regular updates on legislation, seek your input, and clearly explain my votes.”

Incumbent bows out

Rep. Mike Schmid, R-La Barge, currently represents House District 20, but announced Thursday morning that he would not seek reelection.

“It has truly been an honor to serve as your State Representative for House District 20. When I first ran, I had hoped to serve up to three terms and continue building on what I learned during my first term,” Schmid wrote in a Facebook post. “But life can change your priorities. Over the past year, my family has gone through some difficult times. My wife is dealing with serious health issues, and the death of my brother, Jim, just a few short weeks ago have made it clear to me where I need to spend my time.”

In March, Bill Winney, a perennial candidate and former nuclear submarine commander, announced he would run for House District 20.

The official candidate filing period opens May 14.

This article was originally published by WyoFile and is republished here with permission. WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy.

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