Arizona Hot Spring in Mohave County closed because of high fecal bacteria levels

PHOENIX – The Arizona Hot Spring section of Lake Mead National Recreation Area is closed until further notice because of high levels of fecal bacteria, National Park Service officials announced.

The closure, which covers Arizona Hot Spring (aka Ringbolt Hot Spring), the Arizona Hot Spring Trail and the trailhead parking lot on U.S. Highway 93, was implemented on Friday.

The hot spring is about a 2.5-mile hike from the parking lot.

“This a reminder to the public to follow leave-no-trace principles, which include packing out trash and human waste,” the closure announcement said.

How long will Arizona Hot Spring be closed?

Park officials are taking corrective action and will reopen the area once the water quality is back to meeting state and federal safety standards.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area surrounds Lake Mead and the Colorado River in northwest Arizona along the border with Nevada. The Arizona Hot Spring trail section is located on the west side of the recreation area in Mohave County, less than 10 miles south of the Hoover Dam off U.S. Highway 93.

The Arizona Hot Spring trail system was open this season for a little over a month when the closure was implemented. The area closes annually from May 15 to Sept. 30.

How hot is water at Arizona Hot Spring?

The water temperature in the spring ranges from 111 to 120 degrees and is normally safe to enter, according to the National Park Service.

Visitors should keep their heads above the water, however, because of a rare and potentially lethal amoeba called Naegleria fowleri. The amoeba can enter the body only through the nose, but not by being swallowed.

The hot spring temperature is maintained by natural geothermal conditions, with groundwater pushing to the surface through fractures in the rock.

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