The Mudkettles
Drag the handle to compare the two views. The orange dot marks the spring, in a frame about three quarters of a mile wide.
The Mudkettles is a backcountry thermal area in Yellowstone, more than six miles from the nearest road, with no temperature on record. The name is all the description on file; the record gives a position, an elevation above eight thousand feet, and the access class. Gallatin County, West Yellowstone the nearest town listed. Park Service land, open.
Six and a half miles of backcountry from an unnamed road. High, just over eight thousand feet, with snowfall on record near twelve feet and an annual average temperature right around freezing. Moderate precipitation. National park land with no additional designation. Nothing is recorded about the trail, the ground or the features themselves.
With no temperature and no best months on file, assume hot and assume summer. Backcountry travel in the park means a permit for overnight, so ask. Threemile Campground is the closest camp on record, seventeen miles off. No fee listed. No photo on record.
Aircraft with laser scanners measured this ground to within inches. The scan strips out trees and buildings, leaving the bare shape of the land around The Mudkettles.
- Setting
- Hillside
- The spring sits on a steep slope that climbs to the west.
- Highest ground nearby
- 324 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the west
A slice through the ground from west to east, about 0.6 miles end to end.
Elevation data: USGS 3D Elevation Program. Aerial imagery: USGS The National Map. Public domain.
That's about 1½ times the US average of 65. It's higher than at 23% of the springs on this site.
Heat flow measures the warmth working its way up through the ground from deep inside the earth. Where it runs high, rain and snowmelt that seep down through cracks in the rock come back up hot.
See every spring on the geothermal heat map →
Heat flow estimate: Stanford Thermal Earth Model (Aljubran & Horne, 2024), CC BY 4.0.
Overview Threemile Campground is located just three miles from the east entrance of Yellowstone National Park, and 50 miles from the full service gateway community of Cody, in northwestern Wyoming. The area is an ideal destination for a family getaway, with many opportunities for outdoor recreation. Hard-sided camp trailers and RVs are required.Recreation Great opportunities for hiking, fishing, scenic driving and wildlife viewing are available around the campground. The North Fork of the Sho...
At 8,028 feet, The Mudkettles is in high-altitude territory where the air is noticeably thinner. Soaking in hot water accelerates dehydration and can amplify altitude effects like headache and fatigue. UV radiation is roughly 32% stronger here. Wear sunscreen even on overcast days and take breaks from the water to rehydrate.
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