Button Springs

Nye County, Nevada · Near Pahrump
36.4280°N, 116.3030°W · 2,325 ft
93°F 67°F air · Good soaking weather 2,325 ft Restricted Short Walk US Fish and Wildlife Service

Button Springs is one of the Ash Meadows springs in Nye County. Pahrump is the nearest town, roughly 22 miles off. The water rises warm, right at the bottom of the soaking range. The Fish and Wildlife Service runs the refuge and access is restricted. The agency manages it as habitat.

Location

Call it a short walk: a tenth of a mile or so off an unnamed road. Low Mojave desert, a little over two thousand feet, with four inches of annual precipitation and essentially no snow. National Wildlife Refuge land throughout. Pahrump is the nearest town for supplies.

Winter is the season on file. Restricted access: look and photograph, leave the water alone. Nothing on file about a fee or camping. There is a picture of the spring on record.

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 Button Springs.

Aerial view of the ground around Button Springs LiDAR bare-earth view of the same ground around Button Springs
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
90 ft above the spring
Within a quarter mile, to the northeast
Cross-section through the spring

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.

Heat Below
99 milliwatts per square meter of heat flow

That's about 1½ times the US average of 65. It's higher than at 45% 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
47°
Jan
51°
Feb
59°
Mar
67°
Apr
74°
May
87°
Jun
91°
Jul
90°
Aug
82°
Sep
68°
Oct
55°
Nov
45°
Dec
Annual Precip: 3.9 in Annual Snow: 0.5 in
Best Time to Visit
December Air 45°F · Water 93°F · +48° contrast
January Air 47°F · Water 93°F · +46° contrast
February Air 51°F · Water 93°F · +42° contrast
December offers 46°F more contrast than July
Current Conditions
67°F
WNW 0.1 mph 22% Good soaking weather
Tuesday 95° Low 65° Sunny
Wednesday 92° Low 67° Sunny
Spring is +1° warmer
Thursday 92° Low 65° Sunny
Spring is +1° warmer
Friday 93° Low 63° Sunny
Saturday 98° Low 62° Sunny
Where to Stay

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Temperature
93°F
Warm Hot Boiling
Water Temp 93°F (34°C)
Avg Air Temp 68°F
Above Ambient +25°F
Warm air, warm water September
Access
Restricted
Road Access Short Walk
Distance to Road 0.1 mi
Land
Ownership Federal
Agency US Fish and Wildlife Service
Designation National Wildlife Refuge
Unit Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
Manager US Fish and Wildlife Service
Protection 1 - Permanent protection, natural state
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the water temperature at Button Springs?
Button Springs has a water temperature of 93°F (34°C). This is a warm thermal spring.
Where is Button Springs located?
Button Springs is located in Nye County, Nevada at 2,325 feet elevation, near Pahrump. Coordinates: 36.4280°N, 116.3030°W.
How do I get to Button Springs?
Button Springs has Short Walk road access (0.1 mi from the road).
Is Button Springs free to visit?
Button Springs has Restricted access. It is managed by US Fish and Wildlife Service.
Sources: USGS NWIS