Hot Brook 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.
Hot Brook Springs is a tepid spring three miles from the town of Hot Springs, South Dakota, in Fall River County. Despite the name, the water is cooler than a bath. It is a USGS site with a water analysis on file from 2012. Cold Brook Campground is about a mile away. Who owns it, and if you can visit, is not recorded.
Around 3,600 feet, three feet or so of snow each winter, twenty inches of precipitation. A short walk, a bit over a hundred yards, separates it from an unnamed road. Cold Brook Campground is close enough to make a base. No land manager appears.
The record favors winter. Short walk in. The 2012 analysis found the water close to neutral, modest in dissolved solids, with iron among the minerals. Ownership and access are blank; check before you go. No fee listed. Cold Brook Campground is a mile off.
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 Hot Brook Springs.
- Setting
- Canyon floor
- Steep ground climbs away on both sides of the spring.
- Highest ground nearby
- 484 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the northeast
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.
That's close to the US average of 65. It's higher than at 0% 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.
The water at Hot Brook Springs is slightly alkaline (pH 7.5) with 398 mg/L total dissolved solids.
Overview Located less than 1 mile north of Hot Springs, South Dakota sits one of the area's most perferred campgrounds. At the south end of Cold Brook Campground sits Cold Brook Lake, a popular destination for those looking to take a swim at the beach, snorkel in the crystal clear water or wet a line while trying to catch a variety of fish species. At the north end of the campground sits a wildlife area with a two-track trail that is good for a morning stroll or a short bike ride with the pos...
Springs Near Hot Brook Springs
More Springs Around 75°F
Slightly Alkaline Springs (pH ~7.5)
Hike 3 waterfalls near Hot Brook Springs
Looking for more outdoor adventures? Explore waterfall hikes near Hot Brook Springs, South Dakota.