South Harney Lake Hot Springs

Current status: no confirmed public access

South Harney Lake Hot Springs is not a place we can send you. The springs rise on the southeast edge of Harney Lake, and federal surface-management data from the Bureau of Land Management shows the spot as private land, sitting right against the boundary of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. The most detailed guide to the site, Hot Springs Locator, heads its page “closed to public” and describes the springs as privately owned.

Some older write-ups say the landowner once let people visit for free, and a few visitors have described soaking here over the years. We could not find any current statement from the owner allowing access, and there is no posted public route, parking area or operator. Until that changes, treat this as a private spring. If you have a genuine reason to visit, such as research or photography, contact the landowner first.

Soakoregon, which tracks springs across the state, lists South Harney Lake among the “unlisted” springs it has not yet documented with a full page.

What the springs are like

Even with permission, this is not a soaking pool in the usual sense. It is a cluster of very hot vents that feed a small, brightly colored pond, which drains through a narrow channel across flat sagebrush country toward the lake.

The numbers explain why it gets attention:

• Temperature: Oregon’s state geothermal database (based on a 1994 Department of Geology and Mineral Industries survey) records a spot reading of about 153°F67°C at the main vent. Other sources give 140-150°F60-66°C. Either way, the water at the source can scald.
• Flow: about 450 liters per minute (roughly 119 gallons per minute), a strong flow for a desert spring.
• Chemistry: guides describe it as a sodium bicarbonate chloride water with a near-neutral pH and a noticeable sulfur smell.

The spring is often described as one of the two hottest in the Harney Basin. Hot Springs Locator reports that water further down the outflow channel cools to around 100-110°F38-43°C, and that some visitors have used a portable tub filled from the channel rather than getting into the pond. It also notes the muddy, soft bottom and the risk of mites in the warm mud, and does not call it a clean or safe soak.

The USGS Geographic Names Information System labels the feature at these coordinates as Pronghorn Hot Springs, so you may see that name on some maps.

Not to be confused with

Harney Lake has several thermal features, and names get mixed up:

• Harney Lake Hot Springs, a group of about five vents on the southwest shore, recorded at about 104°F40°C in the state database.
• A warm spring in Harney Lake itself, near the southeast shore, recorded at about 72°F22°C.

All of these are on or next to the refuge and none is a recognized public soak.

Getting there

We are not publishing turn-by-turn directions, because there is no confirmed public access. For orientation: the springs are roughly 34 miles south of Burns, at around 4,100 feet, south of the playa of Harney Lake. Hot Springs Locator says the last 8.5 miles are unimproved dirt roads that are likely to be snowy or very muddy in winter and spring, and recommends waiting until midsummer for any trip into the area. Much of the surrounding land is either refuge or private ranch land, and refuge rules restrict where you can drive and walk.

When to go

There is no public season. If you are in the area for the refuge, spring and fall bird migrations are the main reason to visit the Harney Basin, and the refuge has a headquarters and visitor area south of Burns. Expect hot, dry summers, very cold winters, and dirt roads that turn to mud after rain or snowmelt.

Rules and etiquette

• Private land: stay off without the owner’s permission. Trespassing harms the slim chance of access for anyone else.
• Refuge land: Malheur National Wildlife Refuge prohibits swimming, and parts of the refuge are closed to entry. Harney Lake is part of the refuge.
• No vehicles off-road. The playa and the lake margins are soft and easy to damage.
• Leave no trace. If you ever visit with permission, carry everything out.

Where to stay nearby

Burns and neighboring Hines have motels, restaurants and fuel and are the base for most trips into the Harney Basin. To the south, Frenchglen has a small historic hotel at the foot of Steens Mountain.

For campers, the BLM’s Page Springs Campground near Frenchglen is the usual base on the west side of Steens Mountain.

Where to soak legally instead

• Alvord Hot Springs on the east side of Steens Mountain is a privately run soak with camping and bunkhouses. Call ahead if you only want a day soak.
• Willow Creek Hot Springs, far to the south near the Nevada line, is a free BLM pool with camping beside it.
• Barnes Warm Springs near Frenchglen is a pleasant walk to a historic homestead, but soaking there is banned because it is on refuge land.

Safety notes

• Scalding water: source temperatures around 150°F66°C can cause severe burns in seconds. Never put a hand or foot into the hot pond or the upper channel.
• Unstable ground: the ground around thermal vents can be thin crust over hot mud. Stay well back.
• Remoteness: this is empty country with long dirt roads, little traffic and patchy cell service. Carry water, a spare tire and a way to call for help.
• Mud: the soils around Harney Lake turn into deep mud when wet. Do not drive them after rain.