Kate Spring

White Pine County, Nevada · Near Ely
38.5540°N, 115.5310°W · 4,755 ft
73°F 37°F air · Good soaking weather 4,755 ft Short Walk
Aerial view of the ground around Kate Spring LiDAR bare-earth view of the same ground around Kate 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.

Sixty long miles from Ely, Kate Spring seeps warm water in White Pine County, low seventies. That is warm enough to notice and nowhere near hot enough to soak in. The USGS lists it. The land owner and the access status are both blank on file, and so is the chemistry.

Location

Railroad Valley Road comes within a few hundred feet. The site lies near forty-seven hundred feet in very dry country, six inches of precipitation annually and a modest sixteen inches of snow. Land unit and designation are not recorded.

The record's preferred months run December through February. The light snowfall counts in winter's favor. Ely is a long way off, so plan the drive. Public access is unrecorded. Chemistry was never recorded, and no fee or campground is listed. The temperature figure came from a survey and nothing newer exists.

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 Kate Spring.

Setting
Gentle slope
The ground tilts gently up to the east.
Highest ground nearby
104 ft above the spring
Within a quarter mile, to the east
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
84 milliwatts per square meter of heat flow

That's about 1½ times the US average of 65. It's higher than at 22% 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
33°
Jan
36°
Feb
46°
Mar
53°
Apr
62°
May
76°
Jun
82°
Jul
80°
Aug
71°
Sep
57°
Oct
44°
Nov
33°
Dec
Annual Precip: 6.3 in Annual Snow: 15.6 in
Best Time to Visit
January Air 33°F · Water 73°F · +40° contrast
December Air 33°F · Water 73°F · +40° contrast
February Air 36°F · Water 73°F · +37° contrast
January offers 49°F more contrast than July
Current Conditions
37°F
Clear S 29.0 mph 48% Good soaking weather
Tuesday 88° Low 55° Mostly Sunny
Wednesday 86° Low 56° Sunny 1% precip
Thursday 85° Low 56° Sunny
Friday 84° Low 53° Sunny
Saturday 86° Low 53° Sunny 2% precip
Temperature
73°F
Warm Hot Boiling
Water Temp 73°F (23°C)
Avg Air Temp 56°F
Above Ambient +17°F
Mild soaking conditions September
Access
Road Access Short Walk
Nearest Road Railroad Valley Road
Distance to Road 0.1 mi
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the water temperature at Kate Spring?
Kate Spring has a water temperature of 73°F (23°C). This is a warm thermal spring.
Where is Kate Spring located?
Kate Spring is located in White Pine County, Nevada at 4,755 feet elevation, near Ely. Coordinates: 38.5540°N, 115.5310°W.
How do I get to Kate Spring?
Kate Spring has Short Walk road access, with the nearest road being Railroad Valley Road (0.1 mi from the road).
Sources: USGS NWIS