Black Rock Hot Spring

If you're passing

Is it plungeworthy?

—temperature

A natural thermal spring.

Scale30/60

Documentation14/20

Character10/20

The details

Soak: Temperature unrecorded
Area: Lovelock
Coordinates: 40.972, -119.007

Get directions →

About Black Rock Hot Spring

Black Rock Hot Spring is a natural hot spring in Nevada.

At that temperature it's temperature unrecorded — check current conditions and always test the water before getting in.

Plungeworthy rates Black Rock Hot Spring 5.4/10 — if you're passing. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.

What you'll find

The spring at the base of Black Rock Point itself — a steaming emerald pool on the playa rim where the emigrant trail passed. This one is for looking: the source pools run to 150°F-plus, and people and animals have died in them. The destination is the drive, the silence, and the steam at dawn.

Getting there

Parking: Playa edge — dry conditions only
Road: ~80 miles of dirt from Gerlach; high-clearance 4WD, zero services, zero cell
Hike: 0 mi round trip (hard)
Heads up: Wet playa is a vehicle trap under a dry-looking crust. Call Friends of Black Rock (775-625-7848) for conditions.

When to go

Late spring through early fall, dry playa only. Burning Man closures complicate the Gerlach corridor late August–September.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: None — NCA land
Dogs: Out of the water, always
Camping: Dispersed, 500 feet back, 14-day limit
Warnings: DO NOT ENTER THE POOLS — scalding, unknown depth, fatalities on record.

Researched from Friends of Black Rock — hot springs. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Black Rock Hot Spring recently? Post a conditions report below.

Where it is

Before you go

The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.