Black Rock Hot Spring Soakable

Black Rock Hot Spring reads 136°F at the source (NCEI, historical reading); the pools people soak in usually run cooler than the source. Managed by the Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area (checked 2026-08-19).

Cool Warm Hot Boiling-class 136°F

136°F / 58°C

Hot range at the source — hotter than a hot tub

Reading from the NCEI Thermal Springs List (historical reading, 1981 compilation). Source temperature — lower pools usually run cooler.

Water temperatures change with flow and season — test before entering, and never submerge your head in warm natural water. CDC guidance on Naegleria fowleri.

Access

The BLM’s visitor information for the National Conservation Area lists Black Rock Point and Hot Springs as a landmark and stopping point on the Applegate Trail, and says that today visitors camp there and enjoy the hot springs at the edge of the Black Rock desert. The BLM reaches the NCA from Reno by Interstate 80 east to Wadsworth, then 75 miles north on State Highway 447 to Gerlach. There are few visitor facilities inside the NCA and no potable water; camping carries a 14-day stay limit and no fee, and except on the playa driving is restricted to existing roads.

Winter: The BLM warns that Black Rock country is a land of extremes, where the weather can be hot and sunny one day and cold and snowy the next.

Access notes read from the manager's own page, checked 2026-08-19.

Worth knowing: The BLM names the site but publishes no description of its pools; the 136°F figure is the 1981 NCEI source reading. The area is remote, with no cell signal, and the BLM recommends high-clearance vehicles.

Check current conditions with the Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area

Nearby springs

Identity, coordinates, and temperature quoted from the NCEI Thermal Springs List (historical reading, 1981 compilation).