Norris Hot Springs
Norris Hot Springs sits on land recorded as belonging to the Montana University System, in Gallatin County, Montana, with Three Forks about twenty-three miles away as the nearest town. The water is hot, hotter than soaking temperature where it surfaces. Public access is listed as unknown, which matters more than usual given the landowner. A USGS site holds a 1978 sample.
The road is right there, a bit over 150 feet away. Moderate elevation. Snow runs under five feet a winter; the year is on the dry side. Red Mountain campground lies six miles away. The ground belongs to the Montana University System, and no special land designation is recorded for it.
Hot water; test before touching. Best months on file: the three winter ones. Because access is unknown and the land is held by the university system, contact them before assuming anything. Red Mountain is the listed camping. The chemistry sample is from 1978 and includes iron.
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 Norris 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 southeast.
- Highest ground nearby
- 252 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the southeast
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 1½ times the US average of 65. It's higher than at 21% 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 Norris Hot Springs is slightly alkaline (pH 7.8).
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Overview The Dillon Field Office is unable to make reservations for you. Please call Recreation.gov (877-444-6777) to book a reservation or book online. Campsites are available for reservation for the Peak-Season times of May 1st through September 15th. From September 16th through April 30th, all sites are first-come-first-serve. Red Mountain Campground is adjacent to the lower Madison River and provides good access for camping, fishing and floating. The campground has 19 camp sites, 11 ava...
Norris 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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