Wellsville Warm Spring
The orange dot marks the spring, in a frame about three quarters of a mile wide.
A bit outside Salida in Chaffee County, under six miles from town, Wellsville Warm Spring comes out at the low end of soaking warmth, a bit under body heat. Nobody is listed as owner. Whether the public can get in is also unknown. A 1975 water sample shows a moderate mineral load with iron in the mix.
Under a quarter mile from the road, so a short walk. The elevation is moderate for central Colorado, and winter brings several feet of snow across the season. Summers are fairly dry. Coaldale Campground is the nearest listed place to pitch a tent, about twelve miles off. The land record does not name whoever owns the ground under the spring.
December through February come out on top in our season ranking. Snow will be on the ground then. The water is warm, comfortable for sitting in if there is somewhere to sit, and the record does not say there is. Iron in the water dates from a 1975 sample, and nothing has been measured since. Confirm you are allowed before walking in, since no access status exists.
USGS hasn't flown a detailed laser scan here yet, so this view comes from aerial photos and older elevation data.
- Setting
- Hillside
- The spring sits on a steep slope that climbs to the west.
- Highest ground nearby
- 371 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the west
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.
That's about twice the US average of 65. It's higher than at 82% 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 Wellsville Warm Spring contains 470 mg/L total dissolved solids.
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Coaldale Campground is located on the banks of Hayden Creek and is a quiet campground with only 10 campsites. Most of the campsites are walk-in sites with small parking areas. The area is thick with gamble oak, juniper, and cottonwood trees . Sites 1-5 are walk-in sites for tent camping. Vault toilet is available only during peak season
Wellsville Warm Spring sits at 6,861 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 27% stronger than at sea level, so bring sunscreen and drink more water than you normally would.
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Wellsville Warm Spring is road-accessible, so you can bring more gear.
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