Ash Tree Spring
Ash Tree Spring produces 75°F water in the low Mojave Desert of Nye County at just 2,200 feet elevation, one of the lower thermal springs in Nevada. Its temperature exceeds the annual ambient average by only 6 degrees, making it marginally thermal. BLM manages the site under the Pahrump Field Office, and public access is open.
The spring sits in open desert terrain northwest of Pahrump, where annual precipitation averages 3.5 inches and snowfall is virtually absent at 0.2 inches per year. Creosote bush, Joshua trees, and sparse desert scrub dominate the gravelly bajada landscape. The elevation of 2,200 feet places it well below Nevada's basin floors farther north, resulting in extreme summer heat. The surrounding terrain is flat to gently sloping alluvial fan, with the Spring Mountains visible to the east and the Amargosa Desert stretching westward.
Available historical records for Ash Tree Spring are sparse. The name references the vegetation growing around the water source. The area around Pahrump has been ranched and mined intermittently since the late 1800s, but no specific development history for this spring appears in public records. It remains an undeveloped natural seep on federal land.
Accessible year-round via a short walk of about 150 meters from the nearest road. Summer temperatures at this low elevation frequently exceed 110°F — visit October through April for tolerable conditions. The 75°F water temperature provides little contrast to summer air but feels refreshing in winter. Carry all water and supplies; no services exist at the site. Pahrump, roughly 30 minutes away, is the nearest town with amenities.