Nevada's Great Basin region contains the most active geothermal field in North America. The same geomorphology that created the basin and range landscape has caused Earth's crust to be very thin in this area. This close proximity to subsurface magma pockets allows super-heated water to form hot springs across the region.
The information on this page should be used with care. Not all hot springs are really hot (some are just in the "warm" category.) Other springs can be scalding and physically dangerous. The information provided here is simply meant as a reference. Do your own research and proceed with caution!
Click on the following map icons to get more information about each hot spring. The locations marked with red stars tend to be the most popular and accessible. Locations marked with an orange dot 
have extended descriptions available. Locations with a blue dot 
only have geochemical data. Most of the minor locations haven't been field-checked in years, so do your own research before you head out. Not all hot springs are suitable for public soaking. Use your own discretion.
Cave ecosystems are often dependent on organic material carried in by water, which serves as the primary food source for the environment. In arid climates with minimal surface rainfall, the input of organic matter and nutrients into caves becomes limited, affecting the overall energy flow within these environments. The intricate interplay between surface conditions and cave biota presents unique management challenges for modern cave biologists. Image courtesy of Dr. Jean K. Krejca, Zara Environmental LLC.
The official event schedule for the 2025 NCKMS has now been updated. Please check our schedule page or download a PDF to your mobile device.
The National Cave and Karst Research Institute (NCKRI) is a nexus of research, stewardship, outreach and information for caves and karst while fostering interdisciplinary collaborations, created by the US Congress in 1998 in partnership with the National Park Service, State of New Mexico, and the City of Carlsbad.
NCKRI is located in Carlsbad, NM, and is a research center of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.
Near the geographic center of Nevada, Diana's Punchbowl or the Devil's Cauldron, is formed in the geothermically active portion of the Great Basin. It is located in central-western Nevada, in the Monitor Valley, about 3 hours west of Ely. The spring is exposed through a cup-shaped depression about 50 feet in diameter at the top of a domelike hill of travertine about 600 feet in diameter.
Troglodyte Playing Cards
We're not entirely sure what these will look like yet, but we couldn't think of hosting NCKMS in Nevada without offering some themed-out playing cards. There's a good chance the card backs will feature a cave critter of some kind, but we still have some time to figure it out.
