Artists Paint Pots Trail Guide in Yellowstone National Park
The Artists Paint Pots Trail is an easy hike in Yellowstone National Park that’s perfect for the entire family!
Located between Norris and Canyon Village in the heart of Yellowstone, this trail carries you past brilliantly colored hot springs, mud pots, and steam vents.
You’ll also be treated to long range views of Mount Holmes in the distance from the uppermost points on the trail.
All in all, the Artists Paint Pots Trail has some great pay-off for an easy trail. Definitely add it to your Yellowstone itinerary!
Below, you’ll find everything you need to plan your hike here, including parking tips, photos of the trail, and major points of interest along the way.
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Getting to Artists Paint Pots Trail
The entrance to the Artists Paint Pots (sometimes spelled Artists Paintpots) trail parking lot is off of Grand Loop Road between Madison and Norris on the west side of the park.
The west entrance to Yellowstone is the closest one to the trail, and this easy hike makes for a great day trip from West Yellowstone.
If you’re coming from that west entrance, follow the West Entrance Road until it intersects with Grand Loop Road, and then turn left onto Grand Loop Road. You’ll pass the Gibbon Falls overlook; continue on Grand Loop Road for about 5 miles.
The turn off to the Artists Paint Pots parking area and trailhead will be on your right.
If you’re coming from the northwest entrance near Gardiner, take Grand Loop Road south for about 50 miles.
You’ll pass the Museum of the Park Ranger just before the Norris Geyser Basin Museum and Information Center.
Continue straight onto Grand Loop Road past these attractions for about 4.5 more miles. The entrance road to Artists Paint Pot trailhead will be on your left.
NOTE: I highly recommended getting the Yellowstone National Park audiotour from GuideAlong, which plays automatically while you’re driving around the park. The narration is engaging, and you’ll learn about lesser-known hikes, history, and geology!
Parking at Artists Paint Pots
PIN ME!
The parking lot at Artists Paint Pot isn’t large, and holds approximately 40 vehicles. This is a popular trail, so you’ll have to wait for an open spot at peak times.
It’s still nowhere near as busy as other parts of the park like the parking area for the Grand Prismatic Springs boardwalk!
If you’re pulling a trailer or driving a larger RV, you’re going to have trouble parking here as the spots are for regular sized vehicles only.
The parking lot and access road are paved, so you don’t need any special vehicles to access this area of the park.
As an added bonus, there is a single vault toilet located inside the parking lot. Given that this stretch of Grand Loop Road is fairly remote with few other amenities, that vault toilet can be helpful.
Note that there aren’t any other facilities here or on the trail, so you’ll want to make sure you arrive with plenty of water and food.
The cell service isn’t great either, so be prepared with a physical map.
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Artists Paint Pots Trail Overview
Let’s head out on the trail, which is one of our favorite easy hikes in Yellowstone National Park.
The trailhead is located at the back right hand side of the parking, and it’s marked with a small wooden boardwalk.
That wooden section of the trail is only a couple dozen feet long, and it quickly turns into a packed dirt trail.
Starting the Hike
I will note that the area directly past the end of the wooden section gets very muddy after a rain.
Even if you have hiking boots on like we did, you’ll likely want to avoid as much of the muddy puddles as possible, either by hanging to the very left-hand edge of the trail, or by carefully walking along the wooden boards and sticks that have been placed over the deepest, muddiest parts.
After that, the trail gains a tiny bit of elevation, just enough to keep the dirt trail drier.
Lodgepole Forest
You’ll walk through a beautiful lodge pole pine forest for approximately half a mile. As with any time you’re hiking in Yellowstone, you’ll want to be on the lookout for bears and have your bear spray at the ready.
While it’s unlikely that you’ll run into a bear here—it’s a busy trail with plenty of reasons that bears would want to stay away—you never know what might cross your path.
Check out more information on renting vs. purchasing bear spray in Yellowstone here.
It’s hard to believe that the Grand Loop Road is as close to this part of the trail as it is; you’ll likely hear no road noise, which makes you think you’re deeper in the Yellowstone backcountry than you actually are.
The trail curves as you get closer to the hot springs area, but it stays flat for this portion of the trail.
It’s not wheelchair or stroller accessible, however, as the dirt path has many areas with tree roots (not to mention that section at the beginning which is so muddy).
Hot Spring Boardwalk Area
At the start of the boardwalk loop
You’ll arrive at the hot springs area, and you’ll encounter a second boardwalk. You’ve reached the main loop at the Artists Paint Pot Trail!
Of course, you’ll end up back at this point no matter which way you turn, but we’ll go counterclockwise around this part of the trail.
Turn left onto the boardwalk. You should immediately see all of the steam coming from the various hot springs and vents scattered throughout this area.
Several of them are within arm’s length from the boardwalk, so watch for curious kids who might be attracted to the beautiful water. The springs are hot enough to cause burns and highly acidic.
As the boardwalk curves around, you’ll see a hot springs colored a brilliant red. This startling color is due to the high iron content in the water.
Paintpot Hill
The Camping Kiddos and I at the top of Paintpot Hill
Just past that feature, you’ll encounter a series of wooden stairs that take you up Paintpot Hill. These are steep enough that you might need to pause to catch your breath, but they’re worth it for the views and additional features at the top.
Once you reach the uppermost platform (and catch your breath!), look around. From here, you’ll see incredible long range views of Mount Holmes.
Continue on the loop, and you’ll soon come to the bubbling mud pots that this area is known for.
Mud Pots
The younger Camping Kiddo at the mud pots
These gloppy, weird hydrothermal features are fascinating!
They are created when a hot springs forms below an area of watery mud. Much like a double boiler, the heat from the hot springs causes the mud and water above to start bubbling.
While the regular hot springs are captivating in their own right, the mud pots are particularly otherworldly.
The Camping Kiddos towards the end of the boardwalk loop
There are two mud pots right next to each other here, with vantage points on the boardwalk on 2 sides.
Check out both to see which is bubbling more vigorously.
Completing the Loop
Once you’ve seen those, it’s time to head back down Paintpot Hill, this time via the stone and dirt staircase on the opposite side of the hill from where we came up.
At the bottom of this staircase, you’ll pass by more lodgepole pines before crossing a small bridge over some aquamarine colored hot springs. These were some of the prettiest we saw in the entire park.
Just a few feet from this area, you’ll end up back at the starting point of the loop. You can revisit any areas you’d like to see again, or turn left to return to the trailhead and parking area.
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Final Thoughts on the Artists Paint Pot Trail in Yellowstone
One thing that I love about Yellowstone National Park is how accessible so many incredible features are!
With just a mile loop trail, you’ll see dozens of unique hydrothermal features, climb to one of the best vantage points on the western side of the park, and see multiple ecosystems.
Only 2% of Yellowstone’s visitors get more than 250 feet from their car, which is a complete shame given that there are easy trails like this one in the park.
Overall, this trail is a must-do for anyone driving the Grand Loop Road. While the trail is popular, the traffic level here is a welcome relief from other areas like Old Faithful or Mammoth Springs.
Definitely put this hike on your list of things to do while in Yellowstone with kids!
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