Paint Pots

Paint Pots is a cluster of three iron-rich springs in Kootenay National Park. Their water stains the surrounding earth rust-orange and ochre, a striking change from the park’s forest and mountain scenery. An easy 2 km return walk with only 25 m of climbing reaches the springs. Allow about 40 minutes to an hour for the walk and a look around. The pools are modest, and the colour can look quieter than photos suggest, so come for a close-up natural oddity rather than a grand viewpoint.

The trail starts from the Paint Pots parking area off Highway 93. It passes through forest and crosses the Vermilion River before opening onto the mineral-stained ground. The route is easy, but visitors often mention wet or muddy patches, especially after rain. Picnic tables and washrooms are listed at the day-use area by the trailhead.

Iron-rich mineral water stains the earth around the three springs a vivid ochre. That deposit is the reason this place is called Paint Pots: the colour is in the soil as much as in the pools. Take a moment to look at the spring edges and the thin orange channels running through the ground.

The Ktunaxa name shown for Paint Pots, Namita qakxaǂ ʔitkniǂni ʔaknusmi, means “Paint made from red clay.” Ktunaxa people historically collected iron oxide from these spring deposits for pigment. That history gives the bright mineral beds a cultural meaning as well as a geological one.

Frame one of the pools with its orange-stained bank or grasses; a close view shows the contrast better than a frame filled only with trees. Visitors report that the ochre stands out more in sunlight, though the colour and water level vary and are never guaranteed.