Lockes Big Spring, Hay Corral Spr

Eureka County, Nevada · Near Eureka
38.5560°N, 115.7670°W · 4,770 ft
100°F 37°F air · Good soaking weather 4,770 ft Open Short Walk Bureau of Land Management
Aerial view of the ground around Lockes Big Spring, Hay Corral Spr LiDAR bare-earth view of the same ground around Lockes Big Spring, Hay Corral Spr
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.

Lockes Big Spring, which also turns up as Hay Corral Spring, is a soaking-warm spring in Eureka County on public land under the BLM's Tonopah Field Office. Water a touch above body temperature. Open access. Eureka, the nearest town in the record, is nearly seventy miles off, so this is a long way from anything.

Location

The Grand Army of the Republic Highway runs a few hundred yards off, and from there it is a short walk. This is dry, mid-elevation basin: around six inches of rain a year and a foot or so of snow. Summers run warm and winters get cold. The land designation is plain public BLM, with no special status attached.

Warm water at this temperature is comfortable in cold weather, and December to February are the months on file. Access is open. No campground is listed within range in the record, and no fee. Bring everything you need, because the nearest listed town is a long way back, and nothing on file says what is out there.

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 Lockes Big Spring, Hay Corral Spr.

Setting
Open ground
Flat, open ground all around.
Highest ground nearby
24 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
91 milliwatts per square meter of heat flow

That's about 1½ times the US average of 65. It's higher than at 32% 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
37°
Feb
46°
Mar
54°
Apr
62°
May
76°
Jun
82°
Jul
80°
Aug
71°
Sep
57°
Oct
44°
Nov
33°
Dec
Annual Precip: 5.9 in Annual Snow: 12.2 in
Best Time to Visit
January Air 33°F · Water 100°F · +67° contrast
December Air 33°F · Water 100°F · +67° contrast
February Air 37°F · Water 100°F · +63° 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 51° Mostly Sunny
Spring is +12° warmer
Wednesday 86° Low 53° Sunny then Patchy Blowing Dust 1% precip
Spring is +14° warmer
Thursday 85° Low 52° Sunny
Spring is +15° warmer
Friday 84° Low 50° Sunny
Spring is +16° warmer
Saturday 85° Low 50° Sunny 1% precip
Spring is +15° warmer
Temperature
100°F
Warm Hot Boiling
Water Temp 100°F (38°C)
Avg Air Temp 56°F
Above Ambient +44°F
Warm air, warm water September
Access
Open
Road Access Short Walk
Nearest Road Grand Army of the Republic Highway
Distance to Road 0.2 mi
Land
Ownership Federal
Agency Bureau of Land Management
Designation PUB
Unit Tonopah Field Office
Manager Bureau of Land Management
Protection 3 - Protected, subject to extractive use
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the water temperature at Lockes Big Spring, Hay Corral Spr?
Lockes Big Spring, Hay Corral Spr has a water temperature of 100°F (38°C). This is considered a hot spring, well above body temperature.
Where is Lockes Big Spring, Hay Corral Spr located?
Lockes Big Spring, Hay Corral Spr is located in Eureka County, Nevada at 4,770 feet elevation, near Eureka. Coordinates: 38.5560°N, 115.7670°W.
How do I get to Lockes Big Spring, Hay Corral Spr?
Lockes Big Spring, Hay Corral Spr has Short Walk road access, with the nearest road being Grand Army of the Republic Highway (0.2 mi from the road).
Is Lockes Big Spring, Hay Corral Spr free to visit?
Lockes Big Spring, Hay Corral Spr has Open access. It is managed by Bureau of Land Management.
Sources: USGS NWIS