Hot Springs
The orange dot marks the spring, in a frame about three quarters of a mile wide.
Another bare Hot Springs entry in Carbon County's slice of Yellowstone, this one higher, at nearly nine thousand feet. The record gives no temperature. It calls the water warm and leaves it there. Red Lodge is listed as the nearest town, a couple of miles off by the record's reckoning. The Park Service owns it and the public may go. The approach is long backcountry.
The closest route on file is the Hoodoo Basin Trail, and the spring sits a bit over twelve miles from it, a serious distance on foot. Up here the average yearly temperature is barely above freezing, and snow totals come to nearly fourteen feet. Summers are short. Precipitation is moderate through the year.
No season is given on the record. With that kind of snow, the weeks between melt-out and the first autumn storms are the ones to aim for, and the park's backcountry office is the place to confirm it. Threemile Campground, around fifteen miles away, is the closest campground listed. Since no temperature was ever recorded, do not count on anything warm enough to sit in. Access is open, no fee listed.
USGS hasn't flown a detailed laser scan here yet, so this view comes from aerial photos and older elevation data.
- Setting
- Hillside
- The spring sits on a steep slope that climbs to the east.
- Highest ground nearby
- 344 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the east
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 about 1½ times the US average of 65. It's higher than at 52% 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 Threemile Campground is located just three miles from the east entrance of Yellowstone National Park, and 50 miles from the full service gateway community of Cody, in northwestern Wyoming. The area is an ideal destination for a family getaway, with many opportunities for outdoor recreation. Hard-sided camp trailers and RVs are required.Recreation Great opportunities for hiking, fishing, scenic driving and wildlife viewing are available around the campground. The North Fork of the Sho...
At 8,683 feet, Hot Springs 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 35% stronger here. Wear sunscreen even on overcast days and take breaks from the water to rehydrate.
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Hot Springs requires a hike to reach, so pack light but prepared. Cold air temperatures make a changing robe or warm layers essential.
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