Hot Springs
Here is a hot spring the record identifies only by the generic name Hot Springs, lying more than seven miles into the Yellowstone backcountry off the Grand Loop Road. Gallatin County, Park Service land. Open to visitors. West Yellowstone, which the record gives as the closest town, is twenty-two miles away. The temperature was never logged, so the record says hot and nothing more.
At nearly eighty-three hundred feet this is high country. Seven-plus miles out, the Grand Loop Road is the closest road listed. Winters are long. The yearly average temperature is right at freezing and the snow total runs past eleven feet. Precipitation is moderate.
No best months are given. Plan for the snow-free season, and the park will know what is open. Tower Fall Campground is under ten miles away, the closest camping on the record. The temperature is unknown, so assume scalding potential and keep back from any vent. Access is open and no fee appears on the record.
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.
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 south.
- Highest ground nearby
- 183 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the south
A slice through the ground from north to south, about 0.6 miles end to end.
Elevation data: USGS 3D Elevation Program. Aerial imagery: USGS The National Map. Public domain.
That's about twice the US average of 65. It's higher than at 83% 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 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 8,292 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 33% 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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