Alvord Hot Springs | |
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Location | Harney County, Oregon |
Coordinates | 42°32′39″N118°32′02″W / 42.54417°N 118.53389°W [1] |
Elevation | 4,078 feet (1,243 m) [1] |
Type | Natural hot spring |
Temperature | 174 °F (79 °C) |
Alvord Hot Springs is a geothermal spring located in Harney County in southeastern Oregon in the United States.
The spring lies at 4,078 feet (1,243 m) elevation on the western edge of the Alvord Desert into which the spring flows and eventually evaporates. To the west of the springs lies Steens Mountain, a north-south running range with a peak of 9,738 ft (2,968 m) above sea level.
The source averages 174 °F (79 °C), but a system of pipes cools and regulates the flow of incoming water so that the pool temperature is maintained about 105 °F (44 °C). The spring smells somewhat of sulfur, yet not enough to dissuade visitors from soaking in one of two small, man-made rectangular concrete soaking pools, which are 3 feet (1 m) deep and either 25 by 50 feet (7.5 x 15 m) [2] or 10 by 20 (3 x 6 m). [3] [4] The soaking pools have a covered, as well as an open portion, the covered portion being rustic in its corrugated sheet metal and wood construction. [2]
Though they are on private property, before 2013, the use of the hot springs was free and open to the public year-round. [5] In early 2013 the property owners (the Alvord Ranch) installed a full-time caretaker in a trailer and started construction of a parking-lot and a small building which will house a store. Access to the hot springs are no longer free.[ citation needed ] Maintenance is volunteered by local residents and all visitors are encouraged to help keep the springs clean. [2]
Belknap Crater is a shield volcano in the Cascade Range in the U.S. state of Oregon. Located in Linn County, it is associated with lava fields and numerous subfeatures including the Little Belknap and South Belknap volcanic cones. It lies north of McKenzie Pass and forms part of the Mount Washington Wilderness. Belknap is not forested and most of its lava flows are not vegetated, though there is some wildlife in the area around the volcano, as well as a number of tree molds formed by its eruptive activity.
Hot Springs National Park is an American national park in central Garland County, Arkansas, adjacent to the city of Hot Springs, the county seat. Hot Springs Reservation was initially created by an act of the United States Congress on April 20, 1832, to be preserved for future recreation. Established before the concept of a national park existed, it was the first time that land had been set aside by the federal government to preserve its use as an area for recreation. The hot spring water has been popularly believed for centuries to possess medicinal properties, and was a subject of legend among several Native American tribes. Following federal protection in 1832, the city developed into a successful spa town.
The Alvord Desert is a desert located in Harney County, in southeastern Oregon in the Western United States. It is roughly southeast of Steens Mountain. The Alvord Desert is a 12-by-7-mile dry lake bed and averages 7 inches (180 mm) of rain a year. Two mountain ranges separate it from the Pacific Ocean—the Coast Range, and the Cascade Mountains. Along with Steens Mountain, these topographical features create a rain shadow. The Alvord Desert lies at an elevation of approximately 4,000 feet (1,200 m).
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Borax Lake is a 10-acre (4.0 ha) alkaline lake in the Alvord Desert of southeastern Oregon in the United States. The lake is fed by geothermal springs 100 feet (30 m) below the surface that range in temperature from 104 to 300 °F. Surface water temperatures usually range from 61 to 100 °F but occasionally go higher. The springs lie along the Steens fault zone, which runs north–south through the Alvord Valley east of Steens Mountain.
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