Artist Paintpot is a smaller thermal feature in Yellowstone National Park. It is not as popular as Norris Geyser, or the Grand Prismatic Spring, or the Old Faithful. It only has a short 1 mile trail that goes towards the paint pot. The trail has some elevation gain near the end but it is overall very easy to hike.
We got to Artist Ptainpot around 10AM in the morning. The parking lot was quite small here and we had to park on the side of the road. There was a restroom here but there was a super long line up. Seemed like everyone wanted to go to the restroom here.
We walked towards the Artist Paintpots right after we got off the car. The trail was mostly flat and wide. It is quite suitable for family with younger kids. As we were close to the end, the trail splits and forms a loop. We took the left fork first but the distance is the same.
From the top of the hill, we had a great view over the basin. It was actually quite a nice view really. When we got to the Artist Paintpots, we saw a muddy clay like pot that was bubbling hot. It was so hot that small batch of clay was popped upwards . It was pretty cool.
As we head back to the hotel, we heard that someone dog went missing around Artist Paintpots area. It was a big black Goldenpoodle that ran away into the woods. The owner was worried that the dog may get hunt by other wild animals such as wolves or bears. Luckily, the dog was found alive after 14 days without any injuries.
Overall, Artist Paintpot is a good place to check out. It would probably take about 30 minutes.
EmoticonEmoticon