Hot Springs for RV Travelers

A natural hot-spring destination in Lake Mead National Recreation Area (AZ/NV), managed by the NPS near Boulder City. The Goldstrike Canyon route is a very strenuous Grade 2 canyoneering descent of about 1,000 feet, closed annually from May 15 to September 30 for extreme heat. RV travelers base around Boulder City.

A primitive cedar-tub soak 1.4 miles into Mt. Hood National Forest, Oregon. Forest Service-managed, day-use, cash fee on site. No cell service; roads can close in winter. A classic Cascades old-growth hot spring reached on foot.

A roadless, fly-in stretch of Southeast Alaska's Tongass National Forest on Baranof Island east of Sitka. The Forest Service maintains the rustic Baranof Lake Cabin nearby; access is by floatplane or boat, so a Sitka boat rental, not an RV, suits the trip.

West Virginia's only state-run mineral spa, set in a small downtown park. Spring water flows at a steady 74.3°F; George Washington visited in 1748. Free admission, managed by WV State Parks, in the Eastern Panhandle.

A paved Interior Alaska road links Fairbanks to Chena Hot Springs through a vast state recreation area with three RV-friendly campgrounds, river paddling, and trails. The springs sit at the far end; the public land is the journey.

A natural hot spring on Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest land in Diamond Fork Canyon, Utah, reached by a Forest Service trail from the Diamond Fork area near Spanish Fork. Dry Canyon Campground in the canyon connects to the trail.

A developed Forest Service soaking pool in Bridger-Teton National Forest, Wyoming, beside the Wild and Scenic Granite Creek. The pool runs in a summer and a winter season, reached on a bumpy dirt road about 34 miles from Jackson, with Granite Creek Campground nearby.

The only national park built around a working historic spa district. NPS-managed thermal springs feed jug fountains and two operating bathhouses on Bathhouse Row, ringed by 26 miles of mountain trails — all minutes from in-park RV camping.

A BLM-managed recreation area in southeastern Arizona pairing geothermal soaking tubs with about 2,000 acres of sand dunes for OHV use. The Safford Field Office runs a small developed campground with tent/RV units and a modest fee, making this one of the more RV-friendly public hot-spring sites in the region.

A day-use natural hot spring on Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest land in Idaho, reached on foot from the Warm Springs Trailhead on US 12 along the Lochsa Wild and Scenic River. The trailhead also accesses the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness.

A riverside, Forest-Service-managed day-use hot spring on Idaho's Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway. Pools and steaming cascades sit right beside the South Fork Payette; a per-vehicle day fee applies and overnight camping is not allowed at the site.

California's window into Cascade-arc geothermal power, in Lassen Volcanic National Park. Fumaroles, mudpots, and boiling springs viewed from boardwalks and trails at Bumpass Hell, Sulphur Works, and Boiling Springs Lake. NPS-managed; entering the water is prohibited and dangerous.

A primitive, unmaintained cluster of hot-water seeps in the Elwha wilderness of Olympic National Park, Washington. Reached only on foot or by bike via a long approach up Olympic Hot Springs Road. NPS-managed; backcountry permit required for overnight camping.

A primitive, undeveloped hot spring in New Mexico's Santa Fe National Forest, managed by the USFS. Hillside seeps feed rock-lined pools of varying temperature, reached by a short trail off Forest Road 376. RV travelers base in the wider Jemez corridor and approach the trailhead by smaller vehicle.

An accessible, NPS-concession mineral-pool resort along the Sol Duc River in Olympic National Park, Washington. Drive-up access when open, daily-tested pools, and a Recreation.gov campground with 17 RV sites. Generally open late March through late October.

A primitive day-use hot spring in New Mexico's Santa Fe National Forest, managed by the USFS on the Jemez Ranger District. A short trail from a small trailhead leads to the pool. There is no overnight camping at the site itself, so RV travelers base in the surrounding Jemez corridor.

Stepped forest pools in a ravine in Willamette National Forest, Oregon, a quarter-mile from the Aufderheide Scenic Byway. Forest Service-managed, day-use, per-person fee. Open sunrise to 10 p.m.; clothing-optional in the bathing area.

A Wyoming state park in Thermopolis centered on a high-volume mineral hot spring that flows over colorful terraces along the Bighorn River. A free State Bath House operates year-round, and the park adds trails and a suspension footbridge over the river.

A travertine-terrace hot spring above the North Umpqua River in Umpqua National Forest, Oregon. Forest Service-managed, day-use, short steep trail, cashless fee via Recreation.gov. Road usually closes in winter; nearby Toketee Lake Campground for overnights.