Lodgepole (Big Warm) Springs
The orange dot marks the spring, in a frame about three quarters of a mile wide.
Lodgepole Springs, listed under the second name Big Warm, sits on Fort Belknap Reservation land in Blaine County, Montana, about thirty-two miles out from Fort Belknap Agency. Despite the Big Warm name the water is only tepid. It is heavily mineralized, though; a 1973 reading put the dissolved solids high, with calcium, magnesium, sodium, sulfate and chloride in the mix. The land is tribal. No photo on record.
A short walk, roughly a fifth of a mile, from an unnamed road at low elevation in the north of the state. Moderate snow, a fairly dry year otherwise. Fort Belknap holds the land.
Access is unknown and this is reservation ground, so get permission first. Camp Creek Campground is under six miles off. December through February are marked as best and the snow is not deep, so that fits. The temperature dates from 1973 and is not a current reading; no pH is recorded.
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 southwest.
- Highest ground nearby
- 693 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the southwest
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 close to the US average of 65. It's higher than at 7% 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 Lodgepole (Big Warm) Springs contains 1670 mg/L total dissolved solids. It is notably rich in calcium (may support bone density and joint health), magnesium (known for muscle relaxation and stress relief), and sulfate (traditionally used for skin conditions and inflammation).
Camp Creek Recreation Area, located in the scenic Little Rockies, consists of Camp Creek Campground, Horse Corral Campground, and Buffington Day Use Area. A system of trails leads from the main campground, making this a popular destination for hikers, birders and OHV enthusiasts. Several small bass and trout fisheries are located within 30-minutes drives. The nearby town of Zortman offers a store, restaurant, fuel, and gold panning opportunities. This is a Watchable Wildlife area as well as a...