Applegate Hot Springs

General Description: An extremely hot spring on a hill creating a little hot creek that is surrounded by cow patties
General Location: Northeastern California in the Surprise Valley
Pool Type: Hot Creek
Pool Temps: Extremely Hot (106° - 110° F)
Accessibility: Year round, but the road may be too muddy when wet
Restrictions: None, on BLM land
Elevation: 4600 feet.
Distance from road: 0.00 mile.
Book Reference: Touring California and Nevada Hot Springs
Map Reference: Ceerville CA USGS 1:100,000 scale quadrangle, or Leonards Hot Spring CA USGS 7.5 minute quadrangle

The Hot Spring:

  Applegate Hot Springs does not offer a soaking opportunity but has a lot of potential.  The hot spring emerges at the top of a little hill on the northeastern side of Surprise Valley with a BLM parking area.  There is a little sign at the source marking the site as a stop on the Applegate Trail, part of the California Trail.  The source water temperature is about 185 degrees F and forms a small hot creek that flows down the hill.  Some pools have been dug out where the water temperature is cooled off, but still too hot to soak at about 120 degrees F.  The entire area seems to be dominated by cattle with cow patties all around the hot creek making it too disgusting to soak in, even for us.  Applegate could be a wonderful place if the source was protected from cattle and piped to some pools down the hill that is also protected from cattle, but without these improvements its just a cool geothermal site to see.

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