South Black Willow Spring

Canyon County, Oregon · Near Parma
43.7030°N, 117.1900°W · 2,315 ft
71°F 39°F air · Good soaking weather 2,315 ft Open Short Walk Bureau of Land Management

South Black Willow Spring is a tepid spring on public land right at Parma, in Canyon County according to the record. The water is a few degrees under body heat. It is BLM ground, open to the public, and the spring is a short walk off the road. This page has a photo on file, which is rare for an entry this modest.

Location

The Vale Malheur Field Office administers the land, which carries a public designation. A few hundred feet of walking from the nearest road gets you there, and that road is not named on file. The elevation is low, a bit over two thousand feet, and this is dry country. Snow totals are low, about a foot in a typical winter.

Aim for December through February if you go. The water is too cool to count as a soak. No fee and no campground turn up in the record. Public land with open access means less to sort out beforehand than most of these, though the road has no name, so carry a map.

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 South Black Willow Spring.

Aerial view of the ground around South Black Willow Spring LiDAR bare-earth view of the same ground around South Black Willow 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.

Setting
Canyon floor
Steep ground climbs away on both sides of the spring.
Highest ground nearby
414 ft above the spring
Within a quarter mile, to the east
Cross-section through the spring

A slice through the ground from southwest to northeast, about 0.6 miles end to end.

Elevation data: USGS 3D Elevation Program. Aerial imagery: USGS The National Map. Public domain.

Heat Below
87 milliwatts per square meter of heat flow

That's about 1½ times the US average of 65. It's higher than at 26% 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
32°
Jan
38°
Feb
47°
Mar
55°
Apr
64°
May
73°
Jun
83°
Jul
82°
Aug
71°
Sep
56°
Oct
42°
Nov
32°
Dec
Annual Precip: 10.2 in Annual Snow: 13.4 in
Best Time to Visit
January Air 32°F · Water 71°F · +39° contrast
December Air 32°F · Water 71°F · +39° contrast
February Air 38°F · Water 71°F · +33° contrast
January offers 51°F more contrast than July
Current Conditions
39°F
Clear N 0.0 mph 93% Good soaking weather
Today 78° Low 52° Sunny
Wednesday 82° Low 53° Sunny
Thursday 78° Low 51° Chance Rain Showers 44% precip
Friday 80° Low 51° Sunny 9% precip
Saturday 81° Low 52° Sunny 2% precip
Where to Stay

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Temperature
71°F
Warm Hot Boiling
Water Temp 71°F (22°C)
Avg Air Temp 56°F
Above Ambient +15°F
Mild soaking conditions September
Access
Open
Road Access Short Walk
Distance to Road 506 ft
Land
Ownership Federal
Agency Bureau of Land Management
Designation PUB
Unit Vale Malheur Field Office
Manager Bureau of Land Management
Protection 3 - Protected, subject to extractive use
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the water temperature at South Black Willow Spring?
South Black Willow Spring has a water temperature of 71°F (22°C). This is a warm thermal spring.
Where is South Black Willow Spring located?
South Black Willow Spring is located in Canyon County, Oregon at 2,315 feet elevation, near Parma. Coordinates: 43.7030°N, 117.1900°W.
How do I get to South Black Willow Spring?
South Black Willow Spring has Short Walk road access (506 ft from the road).
Is South Black Willow Spring free to visit?
South Black Willow Spring has Open access. It is managed by Bureau of Land Management.