Ocotillo Wells SVRA

To reach this natural phenomenon, on the Gas Dome Trail east of Pole Line Road. These mysterious, volcano-like mud pots of bubbling liquid are located approximately one and a half miles into the public lands of the Bureau of Land Management. Cold to the touch, the gray water releases large bubbles of gas. These mud pots of bubbling liquid are constantly building themselves up by depositing more and more of the fine clay particles on the surface as the waters dries. The color comes from various minerals in the soil dissolved water and brought up from underground by the rising gases. These domes are similar to the more active carbon dioxide mud pots near the Salton Sea. The domes have been fenced to protect their fragile soil structure. The flow makes the hill grow larger over time.