Artists' Paintpots - Yellowstone National Park

The Artists Paint Pots trailhead is reached by a little side road, ending at parking area. The boardwalk path crosses bushy flats to the start of the loop around the hot pools, at the base of the north side of Paintpot Hill. The first features of the area are a number of gently simmering milky-blue pools, edged by reddish sulfur deposits. The most unusual pool in the area - a big creamy-brown mud pot with several churning vents behaving slightly differently owing to the varying consistency of the mud. This part of the path is high enough to overlook the surrounding area well past the parking lot.