Little Sheep Mountain Spring

Big Horn County, Wyoming · Near Lovell
44.7490°N, 108.1880°W · 3,712 ft
68°F 3,712 ft Open Short Walk Bureau of Land Management Camping nearby (10.1 mi)

Little Sheep Mountain Spring is a cool spring on BLM land in Big Horn County, Wyoming, a dozen miles from Lovell. The water is in the high sixties, which is cold for a soak and warm only on paper. Public land under the Cody Field Office, access open.

Location

Low and dry. Under four thousand feet, with around eleven inches of precipitation a year and two feet of snow, this is desert country by the numbers. The spring is a third of a mile from an unnamed road, so a short walk. Cottonwood Creek Trailhead and Campground is the nearest camping on record, about ten miles away.

Winter months rank best on file. Snow is light. Open BLM land, no fee recorded. Water is cold, no hazard, no chemistry on record. The nearest camping is a ten-mile drive.

Terrain

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 Little Sheep Mountain Spring.

Aerial view of the ground around Little Sheep Mountain Spring LiDAR bare-earth view of the same ground around Little Sheep Mountain Spring
Aerial LiDAR bare earth

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
Canyon floor
Steep ground climbs away on both sides of the spring.
Highest ground nearby
398 ft above the spring
Within a quarter mile, to the northwest
Cross-section through the spring

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.

Heat Below
61 milliwatts per square meter of heat flow

That's close to the US average of 65. It's higher than at 1% 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.

Heat flow estimate: Stanford Thermal Earth Model (Aljubran & Horne, 2024), CC BY 4.0.

Monthly Climate
25°
Jan
24°
Feb
39°
Mar
46°
Apr
56°
May
68°
Jun
77°
Jul
74°
Aug
63°
Sep
47°
Oct
35°
Nov
24°
Dec
Annual Precip: 11.1 in Annual Snow: 24.0 in
Best Time to Visit
February Air 24°F · Water 68°F · +44° contrast
December Air 24°F · Water 68°F · +44° contrast
January Air 25°F · Water 68°F · +43° contrast
February offers 53°F more contrast than July
Current Conditions
Today 72° Low 46° Sunny
Wednesday 74° Low 48° Sunny
Thursday 78° Low 54° Mostly Sunny 4% precip
Friday 77° Low 49° Chance Showers And Thunderstorms 42% precip
Saturday 72° Low 47° Chance Rain Showers 31% precip
Where to Stay

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Nearby Camping
Cottonwood Creek Trailhead/Campground 10.1 mi away

The Cottonwood Creek Trailhead/Campground features an interpretive kiosk, five campsites with fire rings, picnic tables toilet facility, four horse corrals, a horse watering trough and food storage boxes.

Reserve on Recreation.gov →
Temperature
68°F
Warm Hot Boiling
Water Temp 68°F (20°C)
Avg Air Temp 48°F
Above Ambient +20°F
Mild soaking conditions September
Access
Open
Road Access Short Walk
Distance to Road 0.3 mi
Land
Ownership Federal
Agency Bureau of Land Management
Designation PUB
Unit Cody Field Office
Manager Bureau of Land Management
Protection 3 - Protected, subject to extractive use
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the water temperature at Little Sheep Mountain Spring?
Little Sheep Mountain Spring has a water temperature of 68°F (20°C). This is a warm thermal spring.
Where is Little Sheep Mountain Spring located?
Little Sheep Mountain Spring is located in Big Horn County, Wyoming at 3,712 feet elevation, near Lovell. Coordinates: 44.7490°N, 108.1880°W.
How do I get to Little Sheep Mountain Spring?
Little Sheep Mountain Spring has Short Walk road access (0.3 mi from the road).
Is Little Sheep Mountain Spring free to visit?
Little Sheep Mountain Spring has Open access. It is managed by Bureau of Land Management.
Can I camp near Little Sheep Mountain Spring?
Yes, Cottonwood Creek Trailhead/Campground is located nearby (10.1 miles away).