Three kilometers southwest of Marble Canyon (and linked by a trail), a short wheelchair-friendly trail leads from Hwy 93 to the rust-red ochre ponds , once used by First Nation tribes including the Ktunaxa (Kootenay), Stoney and Blackfoot as a source of decorative paint for adorning teepees, clothing and bodies.
European settlers later used the ochre as a base for paint manufacture and a thriving mining operation was in full swing here in the early 1900s; you can still see bits of machinery scattered around the mineral beds. The Paint Pots themselves are three cold mineral springs with blue-green water that contrasts with the crimson crust of iron oxide decorating their edges.
