Unnamed Thermal Spring
An unnamed thermal point in the Yellowstone backcountry, Gallatin County, roughly six miles off the East Entrance Road. This is the odd one among the park's listings here: the temperature on record is soaking warm, in the mid nineties. That alone does not make it a soak. It is inside a national park, and nothing on file says a pool exists. West Yellowstone is the nearest town listed.
Nearly six miles of backcountry travel from the East Entrance Road, at close to 7,900 feet. Snow on record is deep, thirteen feet, and the annual average temperature sits near freezing. Moderate precipitation. Park Service land, national park designation. There is a photo on record, which is more than most unnamed points have.
Check park rules before treating this as a soak. December through February are the best months on file, which with this snowpack means a long ski. Overnight backcountry travel needs a permit in the park, so ask. Threemile Campground is the nearest camp on record, fourteen miles away. No fee listed.
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 this spring.
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
- Gentle slope
- The ground tilts gently up to the east.
- Highest ground nearby
- 101 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the east
A slice through the ground from southwest to northeast, 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 18% 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...
this spring sits at 7,895 feet above sea level, way above the mile-high mark. You may not feel the altitude strongly, but hot water still dehydrates you faster at elevation. UV is about 32% stronger than at sea level, so bring sunscreen and drink more water than you normally would.
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this spring 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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