Wagon Wheel Gap Hot Springs
Hot water comes out of the ground at Wagon Wheel Gap in Mineral County, eleven miles or so from Creede. The temperature on file is high enough to scald a hand put straight in. This is a roadside spring, two hundred feet from the road. No owner and no access status appear in the record, which leaves the legal side an open question.
The spring sits high, well above eight thousand feet, in a part of Colorado where the snow total runs past six feet a season. The average temperature is cold. Summer precipitation is modest. Getting there involves almost no walking. The road passes within a couple hundred feet of the water.
Marshall Park is the nearest campground on file, nine miles or so away. Our best-months ranking favors the dead of winter, January first. Six feet of snow will shape how you reach a roadside spot at this elevation, so look into road conditions before driving up. This water burns. Test it. Ownership and public access are not recorded.
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 Wagon Wheel Gap 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
- Hillside
- The spring sits on a steep slope that climbs to the east.
- Highest ground nearby
- 311 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the east
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 2½ times the US average of 65. It's higher than at 94% 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 Marshall Park Campground is situated in an open meadow on the Rio Grande River with views of Bristol Head Peak and the La Garita Mountains. Campers enjoy trout fishing, boating and the area's diverse wildlife. It also makes for a great base camp for hunters in the area.Recreation Anglers will find an abundance of rainbow trout in the Rio Grande, which is considered a trophy river. The river also welcomes wading and exploration. Off-road vehicle trails are nearby as well.Facilities Am...
At 8,550 feet, Wagon Wheel Gap Hot Springs is in high-altitude territory where the air is noticeably thinner. Soaking in hot water accelerates dehydration and can amplify altitude effects like headache and fatigue. UV radiation is roughly 34% stronger here. Wear sunscreen even on overcast days and take breaks from the water to rehydrate.
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Wagon Wheel Gap Hot Springs is road-accessible, so you can bring more gear. The water runs hot, so extra hydration is key. Cold air temperatures make a changing robe or warm layers essential.
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