Hot River
Hot River lies close to the Old North Entrance Road in Yellowstone National Park, over in Gallatin County, Wyoming. Its water runs well past soaking warm, hot enough to burn you. West Yellowstone, some nineteen miles off, counts as the closest town. Mammoth Campground is under a mile away. Park Service ground here, and access is open.
A short walk, about a tenth of a mile, from the Old North Entrance Road. The ground here is under 5,700 feet. The climate on file shows an average around forty degrees and about a hundred and twelve inches of snow a year. National Park Service land inside Yellowstone.
December through February are the best months on the record, with a lot of snow to go with them, so check what the park has open. Short walk, public access. Mammoth Campground is the camping on file, less than a mile off. The water is hot enough to scald. Do not get in and do not let anyone with you try.
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 River.
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
- Hillside
- The spring sits on a steep slope that climbs to the west.
- Highest ground nearby
- 327 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the west
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.
That's about 1½ times the US average of 65. It's higher than at 61% 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 Starting Tuesday April 15th, the Mammoth Campground is open and reservations are required. For reservations at the campgrounds managed by Yellowstone National Park Lodges (Fishing Bridge RV Park, Bridge Bay, Canyon, Madison, and Grant Village campgrounds), please visit the Yellowstone National Park Lodges Camping website. Recreation There are many recreational opportunities in the Mammoth Hot Springs and the North area. Visit these pages to learn more:Boating Fishing Hiking Phot...
Hot River sits at 5,685 feet above sea level, way above the mile-high mark. You may not feel the altitude strongly, but hot water still dehydrates you faster at elevation. UV is about 23% stronger than at sea level, so bring sunscreen and drink more water than you normally would.
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Hot River is road-accessible, so you can bring more gear. The water runs hot, so extra hydration is key. Cold air temperatures make a changing robe or warm layers essential.
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