Unnamed Thermal Spring
An unnamed thermal point in the Norris area of Yellowstone, matched in the record to Big Alcove Spring. It runs above boiling. The 2007 sample came back strongly acidic with iron in it. Two tenths of a mile out from Grand Loop Road, in Gallatin County. Federal park land. Anyone can walk up. West Yellowstone is closer than any other town.
A short walk off the Grand Loop Road, two tenths of a mile. Elevation around 7,500 feet. Snowfall on record near eleven and a half feet, with an annual average in the mid thirties. Moderate precipitation. Yellowstone National Park land, no other designation listed. There is a USGS site record and a photo on file.
Above boiling and acid, a bad combination for skin. Keep to the route. Winter months are on record as best; confirm the road is open. Indian Creek Campground is the closest camp on record, about twelve miles. No fee listed.
Wikipedia's Big Alcove Spring, the feature the record links here, is a hot spring in Norris Geyser Basin measured at 198 degrees in 1996. The USGS site record holds a sample from September 2007 showing iron among the minerals.
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
- Open ground
- Flat, open ground all around.
- Highest ground nearby
- 81 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the southeast
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.
Landsat's thermal camera passed over on a clear winter day, February 21, 2020. This spring's heat shows up from about 440 miles up. The brightest yellow marks the warmest ground, roughly 28°F warmer than the land around it.
Drag to compare. The view is about 2½ miles across, and each thermal pixel covers roughly 300 feet of ground, so individual pools blur into one warm patch.
Thermal: Landsat 8/9 surface temperature, USGS (public domain), via Microsoft Planetary Computer. Aerial: USGS The National Map. More springs seen from space.
That's about twice the US average of 65. It's higher than at 85% 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.
The water at This spring is acidic (pH 4.5). It is notably rich in sodium (supports circulation and skin hydration) and chloride (natural antiseptic with skin health benefits).
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Overview Located about eight miles (13 km) south of Mammoth Hot Springs on the road to Norris, Indian Creek Campground—elevation 7,300 feet (2225 m)—sits near the base of the Gallatin Mountains and offers breathtaking views of Electric Peak. The area offers easy access to fishing and hiking. The campground is away from the main road and provides a quieter, more primitive, experience than many other locations. For reservations at the campgrounds managed by Yellowstone National Park Lodges (Fi...
this spring sits at 7,510 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 30% stronger than at sea level, so bring sunscreen and drink more water than you normally would.
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this spring is road-accessible, so you can bring more gear. The water is dangerously hot, so bring water shoes and test pools carefully. Cold air temperatures make a changing robe or warm layers essential.
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