Baltazor Hot Spring

Humboldt County, Nevada · Near Winnemucca
41.9210°N, 118.7090°W · 4,213 ft
181°F 4,213 ft Short Walk
Very Hot Source, Use Extreme Caution

At 181°F, the source water at Baltazor Hot Spring is hot enough to cause burns. Some hot springs this hot have cooler side pools or downstream areas suitable for soaking. Always test the water temperature before entering.

Baltazor Hot Spring discharges water hot enough to scald, well past anything a person could sit in. It rises in Humboldt County in Nevada's far northwest, with Winnemucca about eighty-three miles away as the nearest town on file. No landowner is recorded and public access is blank too, which makes this a thermal feature to know about more than a soak to plan.

Location

A short walk gets you there, three tenths of a mile off the Denio-Adel Road. The spring sits at a middling desert elevation in dry basin country where about ten inches of precipitation fall in a year and winter snow adds up to a couple of feet, enough to matter on a dirt approach. Who holds the ground is blank on the record.

December through February rate highest for timing. Any contact with the source will burn at this temperature, and the same goes for the little channels running off it. Public access is unrecorded. Ask around locally first, because it is eighty-plus miles of driving to find out you cannot.

Terrain

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 Baltazor Hot Spring.

Aerial view of the ground around Baltazor Hot Spring LiDAR bare-earth view of the same ground around Baltazor Hot Spring
Aerial LiDAR bare earth

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
Open ground
Flat, open ground all around.
Highest ground nearby
11 ft above the spring
Within a quarter mile, to the northwest
Cross-section through the spring

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.

Heat Below
118 milliwatts per square meter of heat flow

That's about twice the US average of 65. It's higher than at 70% 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.

Heat flow estimate: Stanford Thermal Earth Model (Aljubran & Horne, 2024), CC BY 4.0.

Monthly Climate
30°
Jan
34°
Feb
42°
Mar
49°
Apr
58°
May
69°
Jun
80°
Jul
78°
Aug
68°
Sep
53°
Oct
40°
Nov
29°
Dec
Annual Precip: 10.2 in Annual Snow: 25.2 in
Best Time to Visit
December Air 29°F · Water 181°F · +152° contrast
January Air 30°F · Water 181°F · +151° contrast
February Air 34°F · Water 181°F · +147° contrast
December offers 50°F more contrast than July
Current Conditions
Clear SSE 33.0 mph
Tuesday 79° Low 43° Sunny 1% precip
Spring is +102° warmer
Wednesday 75° Low 46° Sunny 3% precip
Spring is +106° warmer
Thursday 73° Low 48° Isolated Rain Showers 24% precip
Spring is +108° warmer
Friday 76° Low 46° Sunny 6% precip
Spring is +105° warmer
Saturday 79° Low 48° Sunny
Spring is +102° warmer
Where to Stay

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Temperature
181°F
Warm Hot Boiling
Water Temp 181°F (83°C)
Avg Air Temp 53°F
Above Ambient +128°F
Great soaking conditions September
Access
Road Access Short Walk
Nearest Road Denio-Adel Road
Distance to Road 0.3 mi
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the water temperature at Baltazor Hot Spring?
Baltazor Hot Spring has a water temperature of 181°F (83°C). This is considered a hot spring, well above body temperature.
Where is Baltazor Hot Spring located?
Baltazor Hot Spring is located in Humboldt County, Nevada at 4,213 feet elevation, near Winnemucca. Coordinates: 41.9210°N, 118.7090°W.
How do I get to Baltazor Hot Spring?
Baltazor Hot Spring has Short Walk road access, with the nearest road being Denio-Adel Road (0.3 mi from the road).
Is it safe to soak at Baltazor Hot Spring?
No, not at the source. The water at Baltazor Hot Spring reaches 181°F, which can cause severe burns within seconds. Look for cooled side pools or downstream stretches, and test with a hand before anything else.
Sources: USGS NWIS