West Fork Swimming Hole
The name West Fork Swimming Hole more or less admits what this is: warm water on Beaverhead National Forest land in Gallatin County, Montana, about 28 miles out of West Yellowstone. Access is open. Tepid water, well short of a hot soak. Chemistry and sample date are both blank, as is the fee.
Under a mile from the road, which the record leaves unnamed. This is high country, carrying eight feet of snow per winter and a moderately wet year. Wade Lake campground is four miles away. Forest Service ground, designated national forest. No trail is named, and no land designation beyond that.
Open access. The calendar in the record favors winter, and at this elevation winter is deep. Wade Lake is the camping to use. Fee: none recorded. There is no dated sample behind the temperature, and no chemistry at all, so the figure is approximate. Plan for a walk of under a mile.
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 West Fork Swimming Hole.
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 northwest.
- Highest ground nearby
- 115 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the northwest
A slice through the ground from northwest to southeast, 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 92% 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.
Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Overview Wade Lake Campground is located in southwestern Montana on the shore of it’s scenic namesake lake. It is approximately 43 miles south of Ennis and 35 miles west of Yellowstone National Park. The 25 site campground, including two group sites, is situated in a dense Douglas Fir forest on the hillside above the lake. Each site is equipped with a picnic table and fire ring. Vault toilets and drinking water taps are provided in each of the two camping loops. The campground is situated on...
West Fork Swimming Hole sits at 6,617 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 26% stronger than at sea level, so bring sunscreen and drink more water than you normally would.
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
West Fork Swimming Hole is road-accessible, so you can bring more gear. Cold air temperatures make a changing robe or warm layers essential.
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Springs Near West Fork Swimming Hole
More Springs Around 79°F
Hike 6 waterfalls near West Fork Swimming Hole
Looking for more outdoor adventures? Explore waterfall hikes near West Fork Swimming Hole, Montana.