Gold Strike Hot Springs
Goldstrike Hot Springs
Nevada Hot Springs
Gold Strike Canyon Hot Springs
Canyoneering by rope in hot spring water
Map
Locationnear Boulder City, Arizona/Nevada border
Coordinates35°59′58″N 114°44′33″W / 35.9994°N 114.7425°W / 35.9994; -114.7425
Elevation1,561 feet
TypeGeothermal spring water seeps in cliff face
Temperature109°F

Gold Strike Hot Springs, also known as Goldstrike Hot Springs, Nevada Hot Springs and Gold Strike Canyon Hot Springs are a group of hot springs near Hoover Dam on the Arizona/Nevada border near historic Boulder City.[1] They are in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

History

Indigenous people used hot springs throughout the American Southwest for thousands of years, based on archaeological evidence of human use and settlement by Paleo-Indians. Thermal springs provided warmth, healing mineral water, and cleansing.[2]

Geology and geography

The geothermally heated spring water seeps out of the cliffs in Gold Strike Canyon, and collects in a series of primitive rock soaking pools.[3] The series of collecting pools go for approximately two miles along the canyon.[3] The canyon has been known for flash floods.[1] The pluton is exposed in Gold Strike Canyon, with volcanic breccias, multiple faults and dike intrusions. The hot springs emanate from the termination of the Palm Tree fault, where it meets the Salt Cedar fault zone. The spring discharge is abundant and includes gypsum encrustations and a carbonate spring mound.[4] This fault zone is significant, as it is the area where there are significant changes in the isotopic and chemical make up of the groundwater discharged in the springs.[4]

The hike to the hot springs is difficult and requires technical equipment such as ropes and ascending and descending gear.[5] There have been a number of fatalities (mostly from heat exposure) in the Canyon, including two hikers who died on one day in June 2003.[6] Although the trail was previously open year-round, in 2016 the National Park Service closed the trail in summer months (generally May 15 – Sept. 30) due to dangers from extreme heat.[7] To reach the hot springs from the trail, one encounters a series of eight difficult rope descents. After the descent, hikers reach a series of hot spring soaking pools, hot waterfalls and grottos.[1]

Water profile

The water emerges from the cliffs at 109 °F (43 °C), and as they collect in the pools, the temperatures range from 98 to 110 °F (37 to 43 °C).[3] Near the first waterfall on the trail is a sand and gravel-bottomed rock pool at 100 °F (38 °C).[3]

Location

The springs are located on the Arizona/Nevada border at an elevation of 1,561 feet (476 m).[8][9]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Gold Strike Hot Spring". Travel Nevada. Archived from the original on March 3, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  2. ^ "A History of Geothermal Energy in America". U.S. Department of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d Gersh-Young, Marjorie (2010). Hot Springs and Hot Pools of the Southwest. Santa Cruz, California: Aqua Thermal. p. 125. ISBN 978-1-890880-09-5.
  4. ^ a b Beard, L. Sue; Anderson, Zachary W.; Felger, Tracy J.; Seixas, Gustav B. Geologic Framework of Thermal Springs, Black Canyon, Nevada and Arizona (PDF). United States Geological Survey in cooperation with the National Park Service. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  5. ^ Jones, Jay (April 11, 2019). "Time's running out to hike this amazing hot springs trail near Las Vegas". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 23, 2019. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
  6. ^ "2 hikers die from exposure to heat". Las Vegas Sun. June 19, 2003. Archived from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  7. ^ "Goldstrike Canyon, Arizona Hot Spring Trails Will Close May 15 – Sept 30". National Park Service. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  8. ^ "Goldstrike Hot Springs Trail". All Trails. Archived from the original on March 3, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  9. ^ "The Hiking Project". Archived from the original on March 3, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
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