Marble Hot Springs

Plumas County, California · Near Portola
39.7561°N, 120.3582°W · 4,883 ft
58°F air · Good soaking weather 4,883 ft Roadside Camping nearby (7.7 mi)
Aerial view of the ground around Marble Hot Springs LiDAR bare-earth view of the same ground around Marble Hot Springs
Aerial LiDAR bare earth

Drag the handle to compare the two views. The orange dot marks the spring, in a frame about three quarters of a mile wide.

Marble Hot Springs sits off Marble Hot Springs Road in Plumas County, about eight miles from Portola, and OpenStreetMap lists it under the same name. No temperature is on record, which means nothing here tells you if the water is hot enough to matter or safe to enter. Land owner and access are also blank. No photo.

Location

Roughly two hundred feet separates the road from the spring. Elevation is close to five thousand feet, with a snowy winter and moderate rain. The nearest camping in the record is Calpine Lookout, about eight miles away. The row has nothing for land unit or designation, and the snowfall figure is the main thing it does say about conditions.

There is no best-months entry. With no temperature recorded, do not assume anything about soaking; the water could be scalding or cold. Calpine Lookout is the campground to plan around. Whoever owns the ground is not recorded, so look for posting along Marble Hot Springs Road before walking in.

Terrain

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 Marble Hot Springs.

Setting
Open ground
Flat, open ground all around.
Highest ground nearby
3 ft above the spring
Within a quarter mile, to the west
Cross-section through the spring

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.

Heat Below
123 milliwatts per square meter of heat flow

That's about twice the US average of 65. It's higher than at 74% 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.

Heat flow estimate: Stanford Thermal Earth Model (Aljubran & Horne, 2024), CC BY 4.0.

Monthly Climate
31°
Jan
33°
Feb
37°
Mar
44°
Apr
53°
May
64°
Jun
71°
Jul
70°
Aug
63°
Sep
51°
Oct
38°
Nov
30°
Dec
Annual Precip: 26.3 in Annual Snow: 81.2 in
Current Conditions
58°F
35% Good soaking weather
Tuesday 78° Low 37° Sunny
Wednesday 72° Low 37° Sunny 2% precip
Thursday 73° Low 36° Sunny
Friday 78° Low 37° Sunny
Saturday 81° Low 41° Sunny
Nearby Camping
Nearby Camping
Calpine Lookout 7.7 mi away

Overview Calpine is a forest fire lookout tower that was constructed in 1934 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, and is one of three remaining examples of the enclosed windmill-style lookout in California. The lookout was actively used every summer until 1975. It is a three-story structure with external stairs. The top room or observation cab is the only rentable space at this time. This is a popular rental facility that is booked almost every night of the year. Calpine sits at an elev...

Reservable Yes
Reserve on Recreation.gov →
Temperature
No data recorded
Avg Air Temp 49°F
Access
Road Access Roadside
Nearest Road Marble Hot Springs Road
Distance to Road 195 ft
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Marble Hot Springs located?
Marble Hot Springs is located in Plumas County, California at 4,883 feet elevation, near Portola. Coordinates: 39.7561°N, 120.3582°W.
How do I get to Marble Hot Springs?
Marble Hot Springs has Roadside road access, with the nearest road being Marble Hot Springs Road (195 ft from the road).
Can I camp near Marble Hot Springs?
Yes, Calpine Lookout is located nearby (7.7 miles away).
Sources: OpenStreetMap