Hot Spring Basin Group
Drag the handle to compare the two views. The orange dot marks the spring, in a frame about three quarters of a mile wide.
A scalding cluster in the Yellowstone National Park backcountry, Hot Spring Basin Group lies in Gallatin County, Wyoming, nine miles out from the Northeast Entrance Road. Temperature on record runs near boiling. The nearest town listed is West Yellowstone, roughly twenty-five miles off. It's public land under the Park Service, and it is nowhere near a road.
Nine miles of backcountry separate the basin from the Northeast Entrance Road, and the record does not describe the route. Elevation is around 8,400 feet. The climate on file is cold, average around freezing, with about a hundred and thirty-six inches of snow in a year. National Park Service land deep in Yellowstone.
Winter months, December to February, sit at the top of the list, which does not fit a nine-mile backcountry approach under heavy snow. Take that as a warning sign and ask the park. Tower Fall Campground is the camping on record closest to it, roughly twelve miles. Scalding water. Stand back from it.
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 Spring Basin Group.
- Setting
- Hillside
- The spring sits on a steep slope that climbs to the north.
- Highest ground nearby
- 144 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the north
A slice through the ground from south to north, about 0.6 miles end to end.
Elevation data: USGS 3D Elevation Program. Aerial imagery: USGS The National Map. Public domain.
Landsat's thermal camera passed over on a clear winter day, December 30, 2023. This spring's heat shows up from about 440 miles up. The brightest yellow marks the warmest ground, roughly 25°F warmer than the land around it.
Drag to compare. The view is about 2½ miles across, and each thermal pixel covers roughly 300 feet of ground, so individual pools blur into one warm patch.
Thermal: Landsat 8/9 surface temperature, USGS (public domain), via Microsoft Planetary Computer. Aerial: USGS The National Map. More springs seen from space.
That's about twice the US average of 65. It's higher than at 68% 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.
Overview Tower Fall Campground—elevation 6,600 feet (2012 m)—is on the north side of the steep, winding, road to Dunraven Pass. The campground is near the Tower General Store and Tower Fall. The Lamar Valley, with spectacular wildlife viewing opportunities, is nearby as are several Day Hikes in the Tower and Northeast Area. Roosevelt Lodge, a short drive from the campground, offers dining and horseback riding. For reservations at the campgrounds managed by Yellowstone National Park Lodges (F...
At 8,388 feet, Hot Spring Basin Group is in high-altitude territory where the air is noticeably thinner. Soaking in hot water accelerates dehydration and can amplify altitude effects like headache and fatigue. UV radiation is roughly 34% stronger here. Wear sunscreen even on overcast days and take breaks from the water to rehydrate.
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