Artists Paintpots

Artists Paintpots is a hydrothermal basin in Yellowstone’s Norris Area, reached on a one-mile loop through lodgepole pine forest and wet meadow. Colorful hot springs, bubbling mudpots, and small geysers make this a varied, compact stop; visitors often single out the active mud and the view from above. It is smaller than Yellowstone’s headline basins, and some visitors find it less vivid when features are quiet.

The lower stretch from the parking lot is relatively flat, crossing bare ground and sections of boardwalk. The back side of the loop climbs numerous steps and steep grades. If you want to avoid that climb, turn around on the lower trail for an out-and-back visit, though you’ll miss the elevated look across the basin. The small lot can fill during busy periods.

Mudpots form where steam rises through shallow water and acidity breaks surrounding rock down into clay. Microorganisms use hydrogen sulfide to produce sulfuric acid that helps make the clay; the gas can also give the area a rotten-egg smell. The result is a thick, splattering feature with its own bubbling sounds, unlike a clear hot spring.

Mudpots can change in consistency and activity with the season and precipitation, so the basin may look different from one visit to another. From the raised upper trail, frame the colored pools with some of the surrounding forest to show how the thermal features sit in the basin. Stay on the trail and boardwalk: hot mud can splatter.