Ouray Hot Springs
This USGS thermal point in Ouray County sits half a mile out of Ouray and reads scalding at the source. The Wikipedia page linked to the record is for Wiesbaden Hot Springs, a group of three thermal springs and a vapor cave in Ouray, where source water is cooled for soaking pools. A 1976 sample came back near neutral. Nothing in the record covers access or ownership for this point.
Sixty feet from the road. Ouray sits high, and the snow total is very heavy, roughly ten feet a year, with a fairly wet climate. Amphitheater campground is listed under a mile away. No owner or land unit appears in the record. Ouray itself sits within half a mile, close enough to matter for a base.
Cold months score highest. The source is hot enough to burn instantly; the Wiesbaden pools described in the record are cooled, and this point's raw reading is higher than even that source. Camping at Amphitheater, under a mile. Access for this exact point is blank; the Wiesbaden pools are the documented soak.
Wikipedia's entry for the linked site, Wiesbaden Hot Springs, describes three thermal springs and a vapor cave in Ouray, with source water at 118°F cooled to the high nineties and low hundreds for the pools.
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 Ouray Hot Springs.
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
- Gentle slope
- The ground tilts gently up to the south.
- Highest ground nearby
- 177 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the south
A slice through the ground from north to south, 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 86% 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 Ouray Hot Springs is neutral (pH 7.1). It is notably rich in calcium (may support bone density and joint health) and sulfate (traditionally used for skin conditions and inflammation).
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Overview Amphitheater Campground is located near the town of Ouray, Colo., at an elevation of 8,400 feet. Visitors enjoy the area for its beautiful scenery and great hiking and off-road trail opportunities.Recreation Many hiking trails are found in the immediate area, including the popular Upper Cascade Falls Trail, which begins at the campground. Baby Bath Tubs and Chief Ouray Mine trails can also be accessed from the same trailhead. The campground is a favorite among jeep and off-road enth...
Ouray Hot Springs sits at 7,800 feet above sea level, way above the mile-high mark. You may not feel the altitude strongly, but hot water still dehydrates you faster at elevation. UV is about 31% stronger than at sea level, so bring sunscreen and drink more water than you normally would.
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Ouray Hot Springs is road-accessible, so you can bring more gear. The water is dangerously hot, so bring water shoes and test pools carefully. Cold air temperatures make a changing robe or warm layers essential.
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