Great Boiling Spring (Gerlach)
Great Boiling Spring near Gerlach erupts at 208 degrees Fahrenheit at 3,960 feet elevation in Pershing County, ranking among Nevada's hottest documented thermal features. Recent USGS measurements confirm 84 degrees Celsius with extreme salinity including sodium at 1,550 milligrams per liter and chloride at 2,240 milligrams per liter, creating intensely mineralized water 152.8 degrees above ambient temperature.
The spring emerges in the Black Rock Desert region at 3,960 feet, where ancient playa surfaces meet sagebrush-covered alluvial fans. Annual precipitation totals just 8.8 inches with 18.3 inches of snow, characteristic of this rain-shadow zone west of the Humboldt basin. The thermal area contains dozens of hot springs and pools across one of Nevada's most geothermally active zones, though current access crosses private property.
The spring is not currently accessible to the public and lies on private property with no legal access since the 1990s. Do not attempt to visit without explicit landowner permission. The nearby Black Rock Desert offers alternative thermal features on public lands. For those with authorized access, the 217.8-meter distance from roads requires a short walk, but the 208-degree water temperature makes any contact extremely dangerous.
Great Boiling Spring operated as a tourist attraction in Great Boiling Spring Park through the mid-20th century until closure in the 1990s. The spring sits on private land and has not been accessible to the public for three decades. Indigenous Northern Paiute peoples utilized the Black Rock Desert thermal features for thousands of years before Euro-American settlement. The spring's extreme temperature and salinity reflect deep circulation through fault-fractured rock beneath the desert basin.
The water at Great Boiling Spring (Gerlach) is slightly alkaline (pH 8.1) with 4600 mg/L total dissolved solids. It is notably rich in sodium (supports circulation and skin hydration), sulfate (traditionally used for skin conditions and inflammation), and chloride (natural antiseptic with skin health benefits).
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Great Boiling Spring (Gerlach) is road-accessible, so you can bring more gear. The water is dangerously hot — bring water shoes and test pools carefully.
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