Hot Springs (Big Bend National Park)

Terrell County, Texas · Near Sanderson
29.1775°N, 102.9986°W
Open Roadside NPS Camping nearby (2.5 mi)

Hot Springs in Big Bend National Park is a former thermal resort, now National Park Service land, reached by car along Hot Springs Road. Access is open. The record carries no temperature for this site, so it cannot tell you how hot the water runs; the name and the resort history tell you people once bathed in it. Sanderson is the nearest town on record and it is 76 miles away, which says something about how remote this corner of the park is.

Hot Springs Road ends a few hundred feet from the spring, so this is a roadside stop by the record's classification. Low desert, very dry, around seven inches of rain in a year and essentially no snow. The Rio Grande Village Group Campground is about two and a half miles away.

No best months are on file. Access is open inside the national park, and park entrance rules apply. Rio Grande Village has a group campground two and a half miles off. Since the record gives no temperature here, check the water before settling in. There is no chemistry on file.

History of Hot Springs (Big Bend National Park)

The site went by Boquillas Hot Springs and Langford Hot Springs as well, and it operated as a thermal spring resort before the land became part of Big Bend National Park. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

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 Hot Springs (Big Bend National Park).

Aerial view of the ground around Hot Springs (Big Bend National Park) LiDAR bare-earth view of the same ground around Hot Springs (Big Bend National Park)
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
Valley floor
Gentle slopes rise on both sides.
Highest ground nearby
153 ft above the spring
Within a quarter mile, to the northeast
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
69 milliwatts per square meter of heat flow

That's close to the US average of 65. It's higher than at 5% 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
56°
Jan
62°
Feb
71°
Mar
79°
Apr
85°
May
90°
Jun
90°
Jul
90°
Aug
84°
Sep
76°
Oct
65°
Nov
57°
Dec
Annual Precip: 7.3 in Annual Snow: 0.6 in
Where to Stay

Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Nearby Camping
Rio Grande Village Group Campground (Big Bend, Tx) 2.5 mi away

Overview The Rio Grande Village Group Campground sits on the banks of the Rio Grande, the International Boundary between the United States and Mexico. The four group campsites are great options for groups of nine people or more and is one of the most popular campgrounds in Big Bend National Park. It is located close to Boquillas Canyon and Hot Springs, and acts as a launch point for visitors accessing the river or the endless miles of backcountry roads. Rio Grande Village has an outstanding v...

Reservable Yes
Reserve on Recreation.gov →
Temperature
No data recorded
Avg Air Temp 75°F
Access
Open
Road Access Roadside
Nearest Road Hot Springs Road
Distance to Road 269 ft
Land
Ownership FED
Agency NPS
Designation NP
Unit Big Bend National Park
Manager NPS
Protection 1 - Permanently protected, managed for nature
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Hot Springs (Big Bend National Park) located?
Hot Springs (Big Bend National Park) is located in Terrell County, Texas, near Sanderson. Coordinates: 29.1775°N, 102.9986°W.
How do I get to Hot Springs (Big Bend National Park)?
Hot Springs (Big Bend National Park) has Roadside road access, with the nearest road being Hot Springs Road (269 ft from the road).
Is Hot Springs (Big Bend National Park) free to visit?
Hot Springs (Big Bend National Park) has Open access. It is managed by NPS.
Can I camp near Hot Springs (Big Bend National Park)?
Yes, Rio Grande Village Group Campground (Big Bend, Tx) is located nearby (2.5 miles away).