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Yellowstone has some many majestic views and places of harmony…

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And of course, those painted pots…

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Fountain Painted Pot Trail is filled with magic! 

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Along Fountain Paint Pot Trail you will see various hydrothermal features that are expressions of Yellowstone’s still active volcano.  Within this geologic system, each type of thermal feature is represented.

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They can be grouped into two general categories—those with a great deal of water (hot springs and geysers) and those with limited water (mudpots and fumaroles).

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Some crazy color combos…   

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Despite their structural similarities, no two features are exactly alike.

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About 640,000 years ago, a huge volcanic eruption occurred in Yellowstone, emptying a large underground chamber of magma (partially molten rock). Volcanic ash spread for thousands of miles. The roof of this chamber slowly collapsed, forming a giant caldera 30 miles across, 45 miles long. The caldera began to fill with lava and sediments. Infilling of lava flows continued for hundreds and thousands of years.

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

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Scientists think the oldest Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone formed in rock and sediments about 160,000 to 140,000 years ago. This paleocanyon was not as deep, wide or long as the canyon you see now.

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The 308-foot Lower Falls may have formed because the river flows over volcanic rock more resistant to erosion than the downstream rocks, which are hydrothermally altered. The 109-foot Upper Falls flows over similar rocks.

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Talk about your roots!

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As you walk through Norris Geyser Basin, you feel as if you are encountering another world.  In the basin, far below the towering peaks of the Gallatin Mountains, water accumulates underground. 

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Heated by the Yellowstone Volcano, the water travels upward to erupt from acidic geysers, rise from steaming fumaroles and simmer in shimmering pools.

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Under proper lighting, the Beryl Spring shines like the blue-green gemstone beryl.  The temperature of this spring is usually a few degrees below boiling.  It generally oscillates between 188.5°F and 192°F and is one of the hottest springs in Yellowstone.

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Artists’ Paintpots is a one-mile trail that enters a partially burned pine forest.  Caution for flying mud!