Alkali Hot Spring
Alkali Hot Spring discharges at 140°F — 83 degrees above ambient air — beside the ghost town of Alkali in Esmeralda County, Nevada. Classified as roadside with only 6.5 meters to the nearest road, the spring sits at 5,008 feet elevation on the high desert floor. During the 1930s it supported a full spa complex.
The spring occupies a broad, arid basin west of Goldfield in central Nevada. At 5,008 feet, the terrain is sparse creosote and low sage under wide-open sky, receiving just 5.8 inches of rain and 13.4 inches of snow per year. No perennial streams flow nearby; the surrounding alkali flats give the locality its name. The landscape is classic Basin and Range — flat playa punctuated by distant mountain ridges on every horizon.
Geni and Joe Guisti operated a spa here during the 1930s, coinciding with Goldfield's boom years. The complex included an indoor wooden swimming pool with a separate children's area and a large building containing a dining room, kitchen, dance hall, and bar. The town of Alkali itself is now a ghost town. No documented Indigenous use appears in available records.
The spring is accessible year-round via paved roads from Goldfield, roughly 10 miles to the northeast. Summer temperatures regularly exceed 100°F; winter nights drop below freezing. Carry ample water — no services exist at the ghost town site. The 140°F source temperature is dangerously hot; direct contact with undiluted outflow is unsafe.
Is Alkali Hot Spring worth visiting?
Best for
- Observing powerful hot springs
- Easy day trips
Not ideal for
- Casual soaking