Mud Volcanoes

Imperial County, California · Near Niland
33.3130°N, 115.6050°W · -190 ft
Warm 84°F air -190 ft Open Short Walk SFW

Another Mud Volcanoes point within the Imperial Wildlife Area, about seven miles from Niland, where the state's fish and wildlife agency holds the land and access is listed open. The temperature was never measured for this record. Warm is the only description on file, so plan on looking.

Location

The record puts it roughly a thousand feet off a road it does not name, nearly two hundred feet below sea level on state conservation land. Rain barely registers here. Summers run hot on the valley floor.

Open to visitors under wildlife area management. No fee or campground on file, no best months. The USGS tracks this point at site 331703115344001. Cool-season visits only, for comfort.

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 Mud Volcanoes.

Aerial view of the ground around Mud Volcanoes LiDAR bare-earth view of the same ground around Mud Volcanoes
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.

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

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.

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
60°
Jan
63°
Feb
70°
Mar
76°
Apr
81°
May
91°
Jun
96°
Jul
96°
Aug
90°
Sep
80°
Oct
68°
Nov
59°
Dec
Annual Precip: 2.8 in Annual Snow: 0.0 in
Current Conditions
84°F
Clear E 20.7 mph 62%
Today 102° Low 73° Sunny
Wednesday 100° Low 72° Sunny
Thursday 99° Low 73° Sunny
Friday 102° Low 74° Sunny
Saturday 103° Low 74° Sunny
Where to Stay

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Temperature
Warm
Warm Hot Boiling
Avg Air Temp 78°F
Access
Open
Road Access Short Walk
Distance to Road 0.2 mi
Land
Ownership State
Agency SFW
Designation State Conservation Area
Unit Imperial Wildlife Area
Manager SFW
Protection 2 - Permanent protection, some use allowed
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the water temperature at Mud Volcanoes?
Mud Volcanoes is classified as warm. An exact temperature measurement has not been recorded.
Where is Mud Volcanoes located?
Mud Volcanoes is located in Imperial County, California at -190 feet elevation, near Niland. Coordinates: 33.3130°N, 115.6050°W.
How do I get to Mud Volcanoes?
Mud Volcanoes has Short Walk road access (0.2 mi from the road).
Is Mud Volcanoes free to visit?
Mud Volcanoes has Open access. It is managed by SFW.
Sources: USGS NWIS