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.
The record holds a thermal point called Hot Springs deep in the Gallatin County backcountry of Yellowstone National Park, roughly twenty-five miles from West Yellowstone. Marked hot, no reading ever filed. It is Park Service ground, open to the public. A long way from any road.
Whatever road is closest, and the record never names it, lies more than eight and a half miles off. Elevation is a little over eight thousand feet. Yearly average temperature barely clears freezing, and snow runs near twelve feet a season with moderate precipitation. Backcountry by any measure.
Best months are not given. Snow this deep shortens the season to summer and early fall, and a call to the park's backcountry desk will tell you what is passable. Tower Fall Campground, about seventeen miles off, is the campground the record gives. With no temperature on record, assume the water can scald. Access is open; the fee entry is empty.
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.
- Setting
- Hillside
- The spring sits on a steep slope that climbs to the north.
- Highest ground nearby
- 100 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the north
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 1½ times the US average of 65. It's higher than at 39% 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 8,180 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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