Spring (Hot)
The record lists this as Spring (Hot), in Tonto National Forest, Maricopa County, about 21 miles from Carefree. The water is at body temperature, a proper soaking warmth without being hot. It is a roadside spring, under a hundred feet off an unnamed road, and open to the public.
Around 2,000 feet, low ground. Snow is a few inches on a heavy winter; rain comes to fourteen. The land is Forest Service. The road beside it is not named on file. Horseshoe campground is the nearest on record, seven miles away or thereabouts. The setting is low, with a yearly average around seventy.
December through February are the best months listed. Open access, and the spring is right off the road. Camp at Horseshoe if you want to stay; it is about seven miles away. The USGS tracks this one under a site number; beyond the temperature, no water chemistry is on record. A photo is on file, so you can see what the spot looks like before you go.
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 Spring (Hot).
Drag the handle to compare the two views. The orange dot marks the spring, in a frame about three quarters of a mile wide.
- Setting
- Hillside
- The spring sits on a steep slope that climbs to the south.
- Highest ground nearby
- 214 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the south
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 62% 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.
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Overview Horseshoe Campground is farther up the road from Mesquite Campground. Offering more developed campground sites with picnic tables, fire pits and access to the Verde River at campsites 11 and 12. Gorgeous vistas of surrounding mountains and the Verde River are offered along the path for families to enjoy. Most campsites are less shaded than the favored 11 and 12 campsites, so please feel free to bring canopies and coolers to provide shade and stay hydrated during the day, but this cam...
Spring (Hot) is road-accessible, so you can bring more gear. Bring sun protection for exposed soaking.
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