Hot Spring

Also known as: hot spring
Elko County, Nevada · Near Wells
41.1750°N, 115.2780°W · 5,435 ft
Hot 39°F air · Good soaking weather 5,435 ft Open Short Walk Bureau of Land Management Camping nearby (13.8 mi)
Aerial view of the ground around Hot Spring LiDAR bare-earth view of the same ground around 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.

Hot Spring, as both the record and OpenStreetMap call it, is a thermal point on Wells Field Office BLM land in Elko County, seventeen miles or so from Wells. Access is open. No temperature is attached, only the word hot. About 0.8 miles lies between it and the nearest road, which goes unnamed. Angel Lake, a national forest campground, is the camping listed, about fourteen miles away.

Location

Around fifty-four hundred feet, public land, with a walk of under a mile from the road to the water. Winter snowfall totals close to three feet and the year's precipitation is about eleven inches. Average temperature runs below fifty. No photograph and no account of the spring itself are on file.

Best months are not on record; heavy winter snow suggests the warm half of the year. Open access on BLM ground, no fee noted. Angel Lake in the national forest is the nearest listed campground. The temperature is unknown beyond the qualifier, so test before touching, and do not plan on a soak until you have seen the water.

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 Hot Spring.

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

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.

Heat Below
94 milliwatts per square meter of heat flow

That's about 1½ times the US average of 65. It's higher than at 37% 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
24°
Jan
27°
Feb
36°
Mar
45°
Apr
54°
May
67°
Jun
77°
Jul
75°
Aug
64°
Sep
50°
Oct
36°
Nov
24°
Dec
Annual Precip: 11.0 in Annual Snow: 32.8 in
Current Conditions
39°F
Clear E 16.6 mph 48% Good soaking weather
Tuesday 80° Low 36° Mostly Sunny
Wednesday 82° Low 39° Sunny 1% precip
Thursday 78° Low 44° Sunny 2% precip
Friday 77° Low 38° Sunny 1% precip
Saturday 80° Low 38° Sunny 1% precip
Nearby Camping
Nearby Camping
Angel Lake (Humboldt Toiyabe National Forest, Nv) 13.8 mi away

Overview Angel Lake Campground is located next to beautiful Angel Lake, high on the East Humboldt Mountain Range. It sits at an elevation of 8,400 feet, just 12 miles from the city of Wells, in northeast Nevada. Visitors enjoy canoeing, fishing, hiking and viewing wildlife.Recreation Angel Lake offers great canoeing and fishing for rainbow and brook trout. Smith Lake Trail begins at the campground entrance. Facilities The campground offers single and double campsites, some of which have lake...

Reservable Yes
Reserve on Recreation.gov →
Mile-High Advisory 5,435 ft

Hot Spring sits at 5,435 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 22% stronger than at sea level, so bring sunscreen and drink more water than you normally would.

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Temperature
Hot
Warm Hot Boiling
Avg Air Temp 48°F
Access
Open
Road Access Short Walk
Distance to Road 0.8 mi
Land
Ownership Federal
Agency Bureau of Land Management
Designation PUB
Unit Wells Field Office
Manager Bureau of Land Management
Protection 3 - Protected, subject to extractive use
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the water temperature at Hot Spring?
Hot Spring is classified as hot. An exact temperature measurement has not been recorded.
Where is Hot Spring located?
Hot Spring is located in Elko County, Nevada at 5,435 feet elevation, near Wells. Coordinates: 41.1750°N, 115.2780°W.
How do I get to Hot Spring?
Hot Spring has Short Walk road access (0.8 mi from the road).
Is Hot Spring free to visit?
Hot Spring has Open access. It is managed by Bureau of Land Management.
Can I camp near Hot Spring?
Yes, Angel Lake (Humboldt Toiyabe National Forest, Nv) is located nearby (13.8 miles away).
Sources: OpenStreetMap