Panaca Warm Springs - Hot Springs in Nevada

In search of a hot spring, I came all the way to a reservoir in a rural town.

The water was unexpectedly clear and lukewarm; and it would be a perfect location for swimming in the summer.

Caliente

Caliente is a city in the State of Nevada, whose name is derived from Spanish meaning “hot.”

Yes, there are some hot springs in the area.

It was one of the colonies of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon), and had been flourished as a spa town along the Union Pacific Railroad.

The historic station building built in 1923 is existent as a museum (the passenger service was abandoned in 1993).

Is this the place?

It is 20-minutes drive to northeast from Caliente to a small town, Panaca.

It is the first colony of Mormon in the current are of Nevada State, established in 1864.

Panaca is one of two communities in Nevada that prohibits gambling and the only community in Nevada to be “dry” (forbidding the sale of alcoholic beverages).

The pond is close to the town, and it is the warm spring to soak today.

Capybara

Look, the water is beautiful.

I won't go in.

Alpaca

In the mountain side the marsh is full of water weeds.

In the opposite side it is dammed by a concrete wall.

There seem to be no specific rules about clothing.

However it would be better to have swimsuits in order to avoid troubles with the strict Mormon.

The water was clear than expected; around 84 degrees F throughout a year.

The pond is managed by the town of Panaca, and once a year around April, it is completely drained.

This helps to control the growth of algae.

By the way, I took these photos at two different times.

The sparkling pond is just after cleaning in April; and the cloudy pond is in its dirty state in February.

The deepest part is around the dam, where even adults can't reach the bottom with their feet.

Gushing points are rather close to the low mountains, bubbling in the marsh.

The water looks just that of a pond; not characteristic.

Only the warm temperature proves that it is geothermally heated.

Summary