Warm Springs Camp

Overview

About Warm Springs Camp

Warm Springs Camp is a remote, spring-fed oasis tucked in a backcountry canyon, where mining-era cabins and relics meet a rare ribbon of water and greenery. It’s the kind of place that feels improbable out here—quiet, shady, and layered with stories.

An NPS interpretive sign anchors the site, and travelers often call this one of the nicest stops on the Striped Butte/Butte Valley 4x4 route. Expect solitude, a handful of standing structures, and the gentle sound of water in an otherwise stark landscape.

Why stop

Spring-fed desert oasis with shade and an NPS interpretive sign
Evocative mining-era ruins and cabins to explore along a classic 4x4 route

Heads up

High-clearance 4x4 required; roads are flood-prone and change often
No services or facilities; buildings are unstable and hazardous inside

Map

Where it is

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CampgroundWarm Springs Camp35.96798, -116.93152

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Local know-how

Tips for visiting Warm Springs Camp

Drive a high-clearance 4x4 and check the park’s road-status page before you go.
Don’t be fooled if the main building looks occupied—it’s part of the historic camp.
Do not enter structures; they’re unstable and may contain hazardous materials.
Do not divert spring water to the old pool; it’s harmful to wildlife.
Bring paper or GPS maps—cell service is unreliable and there are no services.

Plan your stop

Before you go

Best time to visit

There are no set hours and crowds are typically low due to the 4x4 approach. The real gatekeeper here is road condition—plan your visit around recent weather and flood reports. The oasis and structures photograph well throughout the day; give yourself time to wander and explore.

Getting There and Road Conditions

Access is via Warm Springs Canyon Road toward Butte Valley. It’s all dirt, with ruts and rocks, and it’s frequently reshaped by flash floods. A high-clearance 4x4 isn’t optional here. Check the park’s road-status updates before you commit. From the road, the mustard-colored building can look occupied; it’s part of the historic camp.

3 active Death Valley alerts

ClosurePark roads closed or hazardousPlan around multiple closed roads and use extra caution on damaged routes. - Paved roads: North Highway and Beatty Cut-off are closed due to flooding and debris from the October 22 storm.Official details
ClosureSaline Valley Lower Springs closed after wildfireLower Springs at Saline Valley Warm Springs remains closed after the September 15 wildfire; stay out because the fire left safety hazards, including potential hazardous chemicals.Official details

See all 3 alerts

A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone — Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Death Valley Tour Guide

Your drive to Warm Springs Camp, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Death Valley National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

See the Death Valley audio tour

Recorded for this place

A Backcountry Oasis at Warm Springs Camp

Listen

“You're on the way to Warm Springs Camp, a true backcountry oasis that feels completely out of place in the desert.”

Plays as you drive up to Warm Springs Camp in the Parkwolf Death Valley Tour Guide.

More about Warm Springs Camp

What You’ll See1930s-era buildings: a main house, bunkhouse, and utility structures, plus a gated mine shaft…

1930s-era buildings: a main house, bunkhouse, and utility structures, plus a gated mine shaft and ore-processing remnants.
A concrete swimming pool from the camp’s heyday (not maintained and discouraged from being filled).
Mining equipment scattered around the site and an NPS information sign (with a visitor guestbook noted by some reports).

History SnapshotWarm Springs became a hub for talc and gold operations in the early 20th century.

Warm Springs became a hub for talc and gold operations in the early 20th century. One figure looms large: Louise Grantham, a tenacious prospector who eventually ran the area’s most successful talc mine for decades. The spring itself has drawn people much longer—used historically as a winter camp by Indigenous groups—so you’re walking through layers of human history as well as industrial relics.

Camping and VibeThis is not a developed campground—no reservations, hookups, or facilities.

This is not a developed campground—no reservations, hookups, or facilities. Travelers have used the cabins and area as a rustic overnight stop, but you should be fully self-sufficient and treat it as primitive camping only. Pack out everything.

WildlifeWild burros are commonly seen wandering through the area, drawn by the spring.

Wild burros are commonly seen wandering through the area, drawn by the spring. Birds and small mammals also frequent the oasis.

Safety and EtiquetteDo not enter the old buildings; they’re unstable and may contain hazards like asbestos, lead…

Do not enter the old buildings; they’re unstable and may contain hazards like asbestos, lead paint, or Hantavirus.
Don’t divert spring water into the old pool—past incidents harmed wildlife and created unsanitary conditions.
No services are available; bring all water, food, and emergency supplies.

Wildlife

Wildlife in Death Valley

All Death Valley wildlife maps

71 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 6 PMSighting map

101 sightingsDesert TortoiseMost seen around 8 AMSighting map

458 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 6 PMSighting map

28 sightingsFeral BurroMost seen around 5 PMSighting map

30 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map

62 sightingsKit FoxMost seen around 7 PMSighting map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Death Valley. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.