Canyon Spring
Canyon Spring takes a hike to reach. It is a warm spring on Imperial County BLM land, managed from the Palm Springs/South Coast Field Office, and Niland, the nearest town, is about twenty-three miles away. Soaking warm, body temperature or a little over. Access is open. Nearly four miles separate it from the closest road.
The Bradshaw Trail is that road, and from it the route is close to four miles on foot. Low desert at around twelve hundred feet, with three inches or so of rain annually and no snow at all, so the ground is dry in every season. Public land with no further designation. Cottonwood Group campground is seventeen miles off.
Winter, December through February, is the listed season, and in a place this dry and low that is the sensible choice. Four miles from the Bradshaw Trail makes this a real walk each way. Cottonwood Group is the campground listed, seventeen miles. Fee, none on record. The water is warm enough for a long sit once you get there.
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 Canyon Spring.
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 northeast.
- Highest ground nearby
- 197 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the northeast
A slice through the ground from southwest to northeast, about 0.6 miles end to end.
Elevation data: USGS 3D Elevation Program. Aerial imagery: USGS The National Map. Public domain.
That's about twice the US average of 65. It's higher than at 85% 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 Download the NPS app prior to visiting the park – trail maps and more! Cottonwood Group Campground is one of the best places in Joshua Tree National Park for stargazing and wildflower viewing. The group campground is part of the main Cottonwood Campground and has three sites that are by reservation only. It is one of three group campgrounds in the park and the only campground that lies in the southern section. To get the most out of your visit Plan Like a Park Ranger Travelers who...
Canyon Spring is road-accessible, so you can bring more gear. Bring sun protection for exposed soaking.
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