Goat Camp Spring

Greenlee County, New Mexico · Near Clifton
32.8300°N, 109.0470°W · 4,400 ft
69°F 62°F air · Good soaking weather 4,400 ft Open Roadside Bureau of Land Management Camping nearby (17.8 mi)
Aerial view of the ground around Goat Camp Spring LiDAR bare-earth view of the same ground around Goat Camp 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.

Goat Camp Spring is a barely warm seep on Bureau of Land Management ground in Greenlee County, and the record places it at Clifton itself, zero miles out. The water would hardly register against your skin on a summer day; it sits a shade under seventy degrees. Public access is listed as open. Nobody is going to soak here, though it counts as a thermal point for anyone tracking them across the state.

Location

A road passes about forty yards off, so you can all but see the spring from the car. The BLM's Las Cruces District Office manages this stretch, public land with no special designation noted. The country lies at desert elevation with a mild average temperature, almost no snow in a typical winter, and rain that comes sparingly. No road name is given.

Winter months carry the best-season flag, and with snow nearly absent here that holds up. Owl Creek Campground, close to eighteen miles away, is the only camp on record, so it is no base for this spot. No water chemistry has ever been recorded. Since the spring sits on open BLM land a visit is uncomplicated, though the water will be no warmer than a cool bath.

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 Goat Camp Spring.

Setting
Open ground
Flat, open ground all around.
Highest ground nearby
70 ft above the spring
Within a quarter mile, to the southeast
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
81 milliwatts per square meter of heat flow

That's close to the US average of 65. It's higher than at 16% 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
43°
Jan
48°
Feb
57°
Mar
64°
Apr
71°
May
83°
Jun
83°
Jul
82°
Aug
75°
Sep
66°
Oct
54°
Nov
44°
Dec
Annual Precip: 9.5 in Annual Snow: 3.1 in
Best Time to Visit
January Air 43°F · Water 69°F · +26° contrast
December Air 44°F · Water 69°F · +26° contrast
February Air 48°F · Water 69°F · +21° contrast
January offers 40°F more contrast than July
Current Conditions
62°F
SSW 18.0 mph 77% Good soaking weather
Today 87° Low 66° Mostly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms 28% precip
Wednesday 84° Low 63° Showers And Thunderstorms Likely 74% precip
Thursday 84° Low 63° Chance Rain Showers 46% precip
Friday 86° Low 64° Sunny 13% precip
Saturday 85° Low 64° Sunny 11% precip
Where to Stay

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Nearby Camping
Owl Creek Campground 17.8 mi away

Located in the Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area in Arizona, Owl Creek Campground has seven campsites, picnic tables, grills, ramadas, trash receptacles, and restroom facilities available to make your stay more enjoyable. There is no potable water available at the campground. Three of the campsites are pull-through sites, and four are pull-in sites, making the campground suitable for trailers and RVS.  The campground is a stop on the Black Hills Back Country Byway, and it is also j...

Stay limit In the Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area, camping at developed sites — and primitive camping elsewhere — is limited to 14 consecutive days in a 28-day period.
Reserve on Recreation.gov →
Temperature
69°F
Warm Hot Boiling
Water Temp 69°F (21°C)
Avg Air Temp 64°F
Above Ambient +5°F
Mild soaking conditions September
Access
Open
Road Access Roadside
Distance to Road 116 ft
Land
Ownership Federal
Agency Bureau of Land Management
Designation PUB
Unit Las Cruces District Office
Manager Bureau of Land Management
Protection 3 - Protected, subject to extractive use
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the water temperature at Goat Camp Spring?
Goat Camp Spring has a water temperature of 69°F (21°C). This is a warm thermal spring.
Where is Goat Camp Spring located?
Goat Camp Spring is located in Greenlee County, New Mexico at 4,400 feet elevation, near Clifton. Coordinates: 32.8300°N, 109.0470°W.
How do I get to Goat Camp Spring?
Goat Camp Spring has Roadside road access (116 ft from the road).
Is Goat Camp Spring free to visit?
Goat Camp Spring has Open access. It is managed by Bureau of Land Management.
Can I camp near Goat Camp Spring?
Yes, Owl Creek Campground is located nearby (17.8 miles away).
Sources: USGS NWIS