The (Landusky) Plunge
The Plunge, recorded as The (Landusky) Plunge, is a warm spring on Turtle Mountain off-reservation trust land in Blaine County, Montana, about forty miles from Fort Belknap Agency. The land is tribal and the access on record says unknown. The water is tepid. A 1973 USGS sample found moderately mineralized water, with no pH logged.
Six tenths of a mile separates road and spring, a short walk across ground the record does not describe. Elevation is low. Snow is light here, three feet or so a winter, in a dry year. Camp Creek Campground is seven miles off. The designation is tribal land, with the trust parcel as the unit.
Tribal land with no access status on record; get permission before going. the record points to winter and the snow is manageable. Seven miles away, Camp Creek Campground is where the row sends campers. The water is too tepid to call a soak. The chemistry is from 1973 and the temperature has no date of its own.
USGS hasn't flown a detailed laser scan here yet, so this view comes from aerial photos and older elevation data.
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
- 158 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the east
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 9% 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 The (Landusky) Plunge contains 954 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).
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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...
The (Landusky) Plunge is road-accessible, so you can bring more gear. Cold air temperatures make a changing robe or warm layers essential.
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