Tecopa Hot Springs

Tecopa Hot Springs isn't just one hot spring; instead, it's composed of a number of springs, proudly situated in the Mojave Desert. The water source here is far beneath the ground and gets heated by magma chambers miles below the earth's surface. It's between 116 and 118 degrees Fahrenheit for the most part, but as summer starts, there are a few springs that get red-hot at 135 degrees-much too hot for anyone who can't handle it.

One of these is called Railroad Springs, and its derivation is somewhat of a mystery. It probably derives from the Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad that ran through Tecopa from 1905 to 1938, carrying borax and other merchandise across the desert. No one is quite sure if railroad workers used to bathe here or if the name was simply incidental.

For centuries, the Tecopa hot springs have been famous for their healing and relaxing. But not always. I was told an old story about a man in his 90s who had a heart attack. Then, one very chilly morning, he went with friends to enjoy a drunken soak. He plunged into steaming water. It is unknown whether it was the hot water, age, or choice to end it, but he did not survive. Some folks say he had a heart attack, some folks argue that his head bone cracked- But most agree he died because he was 94 years old and did something a 94-year-old should probably never-ever do. A strange but suitable myth for a place where nature's power is never anything other than in full display.