Warm Spring
Warm Spring emerges at 70°F in the volcanic heartland of northeastern California, where the Basin and Range meets the Cascades. Rising 21.5 degrees above a frigid 48.5°F ambient temperature, it offers modest warmth in high elevation sagebrush country.
The spring flows from a meadow edge at 5,075 feet, surrounded by juniper and sagebrush in the Modoc Plateau landscape. A short 410-foot walk from the road takes you through typical high desert vegetation where the air is thin and views stretch across fault-block valleys ringed by volcanic peaks.
Geothermal waters here are heated by circulation through deep crustal faults common to the Basin and Range province. Modoc County's plateau sits at the intersection of two major geological provinces, where faulting and volcanism created the conditions that warm this spring.
Access via a short walk from the nearest road puts the spring within easy reach of hikers and geothermal enthusiasts. The Patterson Guard Station, 18.4 km away, offers a historic basecamp dating to 1921 in the nearby South Warner Wilderness.
Is Warm Spring worth visiting?
Best for
- Overnight camping trips
Overview *Altitude is 7,080 feet above sea level* Set on the edge of a meadow surrounded by Aspen, Fir and Pine trees, Patterson Guard Station has stood since 1921. It served the Modoc National Forest as a fully staffed fire office and guard station until 1981. Just a few footsteps from the Summit Trail and one-quarter mile from the wilderness boundary, Patterson Guard Station can be your basecamp for trips into the South Warner Wilderness or the perfect place to disconnect and relax. The...