Mount Vernon Hot Springs
Drag the handle to compare the two views. The orange dot marks the spring, in a frame about three quarters of a mile wide.
Eight miles or so from John Day in Grant County, Mount Vernon Hot Springs is a hot source that the USGS tracks as a thermal site. The water is hot, past comfortable soaking temperature at the outlet, which means it needs cooling or mixing before anyone gets in. No access status is recorded, and no owner.
The spring lies in the John Day country of eastern Oregon at a middling elevation. It is not drive-up. The record calls it a short walk, a bit under a mile of walking from the closest road, which goes unnamed. Winters are snowy, around five feet in a year, so the walk in can be a slog or impassable in the cold months. Fall Mountain Lookout Cabin is the nearest overnight option listed, about eleven miles off.
Oddly, the record ranks December through February as the best months, snow or not. Hot water at this temperature can burn with prolonged contact, so test before committing. It is a short walk in. Ownership and permission are both unknowns here, so assume nothing and ask in John Day.
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 Mount Vernon Hot Springs.
- Setting
- Hillside
- The spring sits on a steep slope that climbs to the east.
- Highest ground nearby
- 327 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the east
A slice through the ground from north to south, about 0.6 miles end to end.
Elevation data: USGS 3D Elevation Program. Aerial imagery: USGS The National Map. Public domain.
That's about 1½ times the US average of 65. It's higher than at 42% 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.
See every spring on the geothermal heat map →
Heat flow estimate: Stanford Thermal Earth Model (Aljubran & Horne, 2024), CC BY 4.0.
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Overview Fall Mountain Lookout Tower is situated about 20 miles from John Day, in central Oregon. It provides 360-degree views of the surrounding Strawberry Mountain Wilderness, as well as the towns of Seneca and Mt. Vernon. The lookout offers access to a variety of recreational activities. In addition to sightseeing, visitors to the area enjoy hunting, hiking and viewing wildlife. The lookout can accommodate just two people and provides few amenities. It can be accessed by vehicle. Guests ar...
Mount Vernon Hot Springs is road-accessible, so you can bring more gear. The water runs hot, so extra hydration is key.
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