Chattanooga Hot 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.
Chattanooga Hot Spring is a thermal spring within the San Juan National Forest, San Juan County, Colorado, a little over five miles from Silverton, and it sits very high, above ten thousand feet. No temperature is on file, so this page cannot tell you how hot it is and you should not assume it is soakable. Access is open per the record. A 1995 USGS sample found alkaline water with low mineral content.
Reaching it means several hundred feet on foot from the Million Dollar Highway, so you pull over and walk a short way. Forest Service land, national forest designation. Winter here is enormous: the record shows over twelve feet of snow, and precipitation is high year round. The yearly mean sits in the mid thirties, which at that altitude means a short season.
Best months are not given. Twelve feet of snow annually says the walk in will be buried for much of the year; pick your timing from the climate chart. Short walk from the Million Dollar Highway on open Forest Service ground. South Mineral Campground is listed at about five miles. Fees: none on record. Temperature unknown, so test before you touch the water.
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 Chattanooga Hot Spring.
- Setting
- Canyon floor
- Steep ground climbs away on both sides of the spring.
- Highest ground nearby
- 333 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the west
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 twice the US average of 65. It's higher than at 77% 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.
The water at Chattanooga Hot Spring is alkaline (pH 8.7) with 126 mg/L total dissolved solids.
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South Mineral Campground, located along South Mineral Creek, is one of the most popular campgrounds in the San Juan National Forest. The campground has 26 sites, all of which are first-come, first-serve. Most campsites are shaded and well-spaced thanks to spruce and fir trees. Some sites are handicapped accessible. Some sites have large parking areas.Services include water, trash pickup, fire grates, picnic tables, and pit toilets. Bear-safe food storage is recommended. No electricity. Bet...
Chattanooga Hot Spring sits at 10,720 feet, well above 10,000 ft, where the air holds roughly 30% less oxygen than at sea level. Altitude sickness (headache, nausea, dizziness) is a real risk, especially when combined with the dehydrating effects of hot water. UV exposure is approximately 43% stronger than at sea level. Acclimate for at least 24 hours before soaking, drink extra water, and descend if symptoms worsen.
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Chattanooga Hot Spring is road-accessible, so you can bring more gear. Cold air temperatures make a changing robe or warm layers essential.
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Springs Near Chattanooga Hot Spring
Alkaline Springs (pH ~8.7)
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