shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileWyoming

where a hot spring runoff meets the Gardner, north of Mammoth

Boiling River confluence

— — a seam of steam in a cold river.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.

— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand

— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines

— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall

— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround

— a note from the studio

“A short thread of thermal water slips out of the hillside above Mammoth and walks down to meet the Gardner River. Where the two waters fold together, a line of steam holds in the air for most of the year. The site sat just inside Yellowstone's North Entrance, a half-mile walk from the road. The 2022 flood reworked the channel and the site remains closed to visitors. from the studio

from the studio

— bring it home

Boiling River confluence, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?

One tile — square or rectangle.

How big?

the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand

6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb

Surface finish

A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.

How it sits

A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.

$58

Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.

— size

6 × 6 in

15 cm

— weighs

1.6 lb

solid in the hand

— surface

ceramic, hand-finished

art rests beneath a thin glossy finish

— from

Knoxville, TN

our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies

— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Boiling River confluence

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.

— the place

The Boiling River is the surface runoff of a large hot spring on the hillside above Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. It travels a short distance before joining the Gardner River near the park's North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana. The confluence sits at roughly 5,300 feet, on the Wyoming side of the state line a few hundred yards south of the 45th parallel. For decades it was one of only two thermal soaking sites the National Park Service permitted in Yellowstone.

— informed by Wikipedia — Boiling River, NPS — Yellowstone Thermal Features

— the water

Where the thermal runoff enters the Gardner, the two waters mix unevenly. Pools form along the gravel bar and the temperature shifts as a person moves a foot in any direction. The Gardner runs cold off snowmelt from Mount Everts and the Gallatin Range, and the hot spring source above Mammoth holds steady near 140 degrees Fahrenheit. The site reads as a seam, not a pool, and the steam holds longest on still mornings between October and March.

— informed by USGS — Yellowstone Volcano Observatory

— the visit

The June 2022 flood on the Gardner reshaped the riverbed, removed the trail, and the site has remained closed since. The National Park Service has not announced a reopening. Visitors approaching from Gardiner pass the closed pull-off on the way to Mammoth, where the upper terraces remain open year-round. The North Entrance road was rebuilt and reopened in late 2022 along a different alignment higher on the hillside, and the lower river is left to recover.

— informed by NPS — 2022 Flood Recovery

— where

United States · Yellowstone National Park, near the Wyoming–Montana line

— within

Yellowstone National Park

— position

44.9900° N · 110.6900° W

— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.

4 km S

Mammoth Hot Springs

thermal terraces

3 km N

Gardiner

gateway town

3 km N

Roosevelt Arch

park entrance

Boiling River confluence

Mammoth Hot Springs

Gardiner

Roosevelt Arch

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Boiling River confluence — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

It is the surface runoff of a large hot spring above Mammoth in Yellowstone. It meets the cold Gardner River just inside the park's North Entrance, forming a steaming line where the two waters mix.

No. The 2022 flood reworked the channel and the site has remained closed since. The National Park Service has not announced a reopening date.

The hot spring source above Mammoth holds steady near 140 degrees Fahrenheit. At the confluence, temperatures vary widely within a single pool as the Gardner mixes with the thermal flow.

About a half-mile south of the North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana, on the Wyoming side of the state line. The pull-off sat along the old road between Gardiner and Mammoth Hot Springs.

Most Yellowstone thermal water is dangerous, either too hot or chemically caustic. The confluence and the Firehole River swim area were the two places where cold river water reliably tempered the heat.

A heavy June rain on snow event sent the Yellowstone and Gardner rivers far above flood stage, destroying roads and bridges in the park's northern range. The North Entrance road was rebuilt on a higher alignment.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful piece for visitors who remember the walk down the river bar and the steam in the cold air. A Medium or Large with a handwritten note from the studio carries the memory well.

Mountain-modern, lodge interiors, and warm Western studies. The mineral blue and steam tones of the artwork rest comfortably against oiled timber, slate, and woven wool.

Yes. Biophilic design leans on natural water, stone, and steam imagery. The tile reads as a still focal point without falling into spa-decor cliché.

A single Large reads well above a console or freestanding tub. For a full wall, a 4-tile or 9-tile Mural carries the river line and lets the steam breathe.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both resist scratching and tolerate humidity, including direct shower-wall installations. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure.

Microfibre and water. The pigment lives in the surface beneath a thin glossy finish and will not lift with normal cleaning. No chemical cleaners are needed.

Yes. Wender Studios is a single family studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. The work is hand-finished in-house and not licensed from any outside artist.

— if this one stayed with you