Fountain Paint Pot
Fountain Paint Pot Fountain Paint Pot Trail - On the Fountain Paint Pot trail, you will find all four types of thermal features. Geysers, mud pots, hot springs, and fumaroles are all along a short boardwalk.
Silex Spring - Silex spring's water supply is so great that it usually overflows throughout the year. The overflow provides a habitat for mats and various types of bacterial.
Fountain Paint Pot - What you see here depends on what time of the year you visit. In early summer the mud is thin and watery, by late summer, the mud has become quite thick. Bubbling caused by steam changes as the mud thickens.
Leather Pool - The Hebgen Lake earthquake of 1959 changed this warm pool once lined with leather like brown algae. With the earthquake, water temperatures rose to boiling, killing the brown algae.
Red Spouter - This spring originated with the Hebgen Lake earthquake, and changes throughout the seasons. During the summer months it is a fumarole, but from late fall to early summer it spouts red water and mud.
Fountain Paint Pot
What can I see and do in the Fountain Paint Pot area?
Take a .5 mile walk along a short boardwalk within the Fountain Paint Pot area to experience the wide range of geothermal attractions offered in Yellowstone. Here are some of the sites you'll see along the way:
- Fountain Paint Pot - This is a classic mud pot. In the spring it is watery due to rain and runoff. In the late summer and fall it will be very thick.
- Red Spouter - This spring originated with the Hebgen Lake earthquake, and changes throughout the seasons. In the spring and summer it spouts red water and mud. During the late summer and fall it is a hissing fumarole.
- Fountain Geyser - Starting from a stunning blue pool, the Fountain Geyser is an unpredictable geyser that can reach heights of 50 feet and last for 20 minutes. Not to be confused with the Great Fountain Geyser on Firehole Lake Road.
- Morning Geyser - Although it seldom erupts, when it does it reaches 150-200 feet high!
- Firehole Lake - Jump back in your car and drive the Firehole Lake Road to visit Firehole Lake, the largest hot spring in the vicinity. The average temperature of this lake is a steaming 158° F.
Where is Fountain Paint Pot?
The Fountain Paint Pot area is south of Madison and north of Old Faithful between the Midway and Lower Geyser Basins. The parking area is next to the Firehole Lake road.
- See all four types of geothermal attractions in one location.
- A short boardwalk takes you up close.
- Experience the bubbling mud pots.
- View the largest hot springs in Yellowstone – Firehole Lake.
