Hiking the Artists’ Paintpot Trail in Yellowstone National Park
Distance: 1.0 miles / 1.6 km
The Artists’ Paintpot Trail in Yellowstone National Park is a short day hike that leads to a small, unique thermal area where visitors can see a variety of uniquely colored thermal features—most notably the Blood Geyser!
That said, the Artists’ Paintpots are most similar in size to the short boardwalk through the Black Sand Basin near Old Faithful to the south, but they are most comparable to the Norris Geyser Basin in terms of the thermal features encountered.
However, the Artists’ Paintpot Trail is not nearly as busy as the nearby Norris Geyser Basin, but if you’re looking for the best of both experiences, I highly recommend visiting both first thing in the morning, which is always the best way to avoid the crowds in popular areas across Yellowstone, such as this!
Artists’ Paintpot Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Artists’ Paintpot Trail is located in a large paved parking lot off the east side of Grand Loop Road between Norris to the north and Maddison to the south.
Typically speaking, the Artists’ Paintpot Trail gets busier by mid-morning, but these photos were taken not long after sunrise.
Google Maps Directions: Artists’ Paintpot Trailhead
Hiking Checklist - Yellowstone-Tetons
Here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in the Yellowstone-Teton area.
Hiking the Artists’ Paintpot Trail
The Artists’ Paintpot Trail is a mix of boardwalks and native surface, which goes back and forth throughout the entire hike.
While the trail typically gets busier as the day goes on, bear spray is absolutely necessary, especially in the quiet early morning hours, like when I was hiking.
Artists’ Paint Pots Loop Trail
After only 0.3 miles (0.5 km), the Artists’ Paintpot Trail splits into the loop that navigates through the best of the thermal features.
I don’t believe it makes much of a difference which direction to explore first, so I decided to go left.
If accessibility is a concern, it’s worth noting the large number of stairs that climb to the overlook and the upper part of the loop.
Blood Geyser
On a much less foggy day, the Blood Geyser is something to see from this scenic overlook!
On the far side of the loop, the trail descends back down just one switchback to the boardwalk below.
Artists’ Paint Pots Loop Junction
This is back where the Artists’ Paintpot Loop meets back up with the beginning of the trail.
