Texas has few natural thermal springs, and the best documented are in the Trans-Pecos, along the Rio Grande in the Big Bend region. The National Park Service says the springs at the old Hot Springs settlement in Big Bend National Park are probably related to normal faults of the Basin and Range type that formed about 18 to 23 million years ago. Groundwater circulates deep along these faults, is heated by geothermal processes, and returns to the surface at about 105 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the park. A study by the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas found that the region's thermal springs come from relatively shallow circulation in an area of normal heat flow.
Almost all of the public thermal water in Texas is inside Big Bend National Park, where the Hot Springs Historic District, at the mouth of Tornillo Creek about four miles upriver from Boquillas Canyon, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Upriver, Big Bend Ranch State Park, managed by Texas Parks and Wildlife, covers another long stretch of the Rio Grande. Most of the rest of the state is private land.
The site is reached by the Hot Springs road, a two-mile gravel road that descends a rough, narrow wash with one-way sections where motor homes and oversize vehicles are prohibited. From the end of the road, the spring is a half-mile round-trip walk, and a one-mile loop trail runs along the bluff above the river. The spring was once known as Boquillas Hot Springs; a post office named Hot Springs opened there in July 1914, and only the foundation of J.O. Langford's bathhouse remains. The park measured a flow of about 250,000 gallons a day in 1936, and later measurements show a decrease.
Source temperatures in Texas
Half of the 9 springs with a measurement are at 99°F or below at the source, and 0 reach 130°F or more. The hottest, Indian Hot Springs, measured 117°F. These are the readings published by NOAA in the Thermal Springs List (about 1980); a spring can change over decades, and water cools quickly as it flows away from the vent.
All 9 springs in the NOAA list
Sorted from hottest to coolest. Many are on private land, in closed areas or are only small seeps; only the places listed above have checked access facts.
| Spring (NOAA name) | Source temp | °C | Lat, lon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Hot Springs | 117°F | 47 | 30.82, -105.31 |
| Ruidosa Hot Springs | 113°F | 45 | 30.04, -104.60 |
| Hot Springs | 106°F | 41 | 29.18, -102.99 |
| Capote Springs | 99°F | 37 | 30.21, -104.56 |
| Red Bull Spring | 99°F | 37 | 30.86, -105.34 |
| Rio Grande Village Spring | 97°F | 36 | 29.18, -102.95 |
| Nixon Spring | 90°F | 32 | 30.13, -104.60 |
| Unnamed spring | 90°F | 32 | 29.80, -102.38 |
| Springs (Las Cienegas) | 86°F | 30 | 29.79, -104.46 |
Questions
How many hot springs are in Texas?
The NOAA Thermal Springs List names 9 thermal springs in Texas. Many are on private land or are small seeps; the list is a geological record from about 1980, not a list of places open to visitors.
What is the hottest spring in Texas?
Indian Hot Springs, at 117°F (47°C) at the source in the NOAA list.
Who manages the public hot springs?
Public springs are usually on national forest, BLM or park land. Check the managing agency before a trip.
Sources: NOAA NCEI, Thermal Springs List for the United States (NCEI Accession 0303600, doi:10.25921/c8p0-zs06), public domain (CC0); state boundaries from the U.S. Census Bureau; access facts from the managing agencies, linked on each place page; geology and seasons: nps.gov, beg.utexas.edu, tpwd.texas.gov.
Data guide for trip planning. Conditions, access and rules change; check with the managing agency before you go.