Artists Paintpots

Artists Paintpots – 1.1mi / 1.7km

This short hike features a great collection of mud pots with a few bonus pools. The short walk that takes you to the loop is level through lodgepole pines. Once at the loop, a variety of pools, pots, and steaming vents decorates the hillside.

The trail loops 100ft/30m up the hillside past pools of red, milky blue, yellow, green, and crystal clear. Mud pots of various colors and stages boil and plop. Streams run down the hillside on blood-red colored mats of microbes. The top also offers a nice overlook of the paint pots and the surrounding area. Complete the loop and head back.

Trailhead: Halfway between Madison Junction and Norris Junction on the Grand Loop Road, turn down the signed road for Artists Paintpots. The trail takes off from the parking lot.

Elevation Gain: 100ft / 30m – Elevation Loss: 100ft / 30m

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