Arizona hot springs
81 springs, hottest at the source is Gillard Hot Spring at 180°F. 2 are on public land.
Arizona has fewer springs than its neighbours, 84 in this directory, and the calendar matters more here than anywhere else. The best-known sites are in low desert canyons where summer air temperatures pass 110°F, and the National Park Service closes the most popular trails outright for the hottest four and a half months. Plan for November through March and Arizona becomes one of the most rewarding hot springs states in the country.
Where the springs are
The Colorado River below Hoover Dam (Lake Mead National Recreation Area). Arizona (Ringbolt) Hot Springs is the headline: a loop hike through White Rock Canyon to terraced pools in a slot canyon beside the river, with a ladder up a short waterfall. Across the river in Nevada, Gold Strike Hot Springs is a scramble with fixed ropes down Goldstrike Canyon. Both trails are closed every year from May 15 through September 30 because of extreme heat; the park says the springs stay reachable from the river by boat during the closure. The park has also confirmed Naegleria fowleri in the area’s hot springs and advises against diving, splashing or putting your head under. Entry requires a park pass. The Nevada Hot Spring entry in this directory is on the same stretch.
Central Arizona. Verde Hot Springs, on the Verde River in the national forest south of Camp Verde, is the ruin of a 1922 resort: a few concrete pools and painted walls reached by long rough forest roads and then a wade across the river. It is free, clothing optional by custom, and impassable when the river is high. Castle Hot Springs in the Bradshaw Mountains, about 55 miles from Phoenix, is a restored luxury resort where the springs are reserved for overnight guests aged 18 and up, swimsuits required. El Dorado Hot Springs in Tonopah, west of Phoenix, is a modest soaking spot with private tubs. Buckhorn Hot Mineral Wells in Mesa is a historic bathhouse site. Sheep Bridge Hot Spring on the upper Verde is a backcountry tub at the end of a very long dirt road.
Safford and the Gila Valley. Within about 30 miles of Safford: Hot Well Dunes, a BLM recreation area with two soaking tubs in the dunes, open daylight hours with a vehicle fee; Roper Lake State Park, whose hot tub by the lake is permanently closed though the park remains open; and the private Essence of Tranquility and Kachina Mineral Springs. Indian Hot Springs near Eden is a historic resort property. Farther east near Clifton, Clifton Hot Springs and Eagle Creek Hot Springs are in mining country, and Gillard Hot Spring (180°F) and Hannah Hot Spring (133°F) are too hot to enter where they surface.
Kaiser and the northwest. Kaiser Hot Spring near Wikieup, off US 93 between Phoenix and Kingman, is a free BLM spring reached by about 1.4 miles of sandy wash walking to a small pool in a basalt canyon. Tom Brown Warm Spring is nearby. Pumpkin Spring, on the Colorado in the Grand Canyon, is closed to soaking because of extreme arsenic.
Tucson and the south. Agua Caliente in Tucson is a county park built around a warm spring, with ponds and palms. Hookers Hot Springs in the Galiuro foothills is closed to visitors, and the Agua Caliente Spring near Arivaca and Quitobaquito Springs in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument are protected desert oases rather than pools.
When to go
November through March, full stop, for anything in the low desert: Arizona and Gold Strike are closed in summer anyway, Verde’s canyon is dangerously hot, and Kaiser’s wash is a sun trap. Late fall and early spring are the comfortable windows at Safford, which sits higher. The Lake Mead springs are also at risk from flash floods in the summer monsoon, another reason the closure dates make sense. Castle Hot Springs and El Dorado operate year-round.
Etiquette and safety
- Respect the May 15 to September 30 closures at Lake Mead. The park cites the National Weather Service’s finding that excessive heat is the leading weather-related killer in the Southwest, and that is why the dates exist.
- Keep your head above water everywhere. The amoeba warning is official at Lake Mead and applies to any warm pool in the state.
- Carry more water than you think: a gallon per person for the Arizona Hot Springs loop in winter, more in shoulder season. There is no shade on the approach.
- Verde requires a river crossing. Do not attempt it in high water, and remember the forest roads are slow and rough in both directions.
- Hot Well Dunes is daylight only. Castle is guests only. Roper Lake’s tub is gone; do not plan a trip around it.
- Leave no trace in the slot canyons. There is nowhere to bury anything in a narrow wash, so use the trailhead toilets and pack out everything else.
Practical logistics
Las Vegas is 45 minutes from the Lake Mead trailheads and the natural base; Boulder City is closer and quieter. Phoenix reaches Verde in about three hours door to pool and Kaiser in about two. Safford has motels and is the hub for the Gila Valley springs. During the summer closure the only legitimate approach is from the river; outfitters run paddle trips below Hoover Dam, so ask whether they land at the springs.
Map
Springs by nearest town
Boulder City
- Hot Spring
near Boulder City / 86°F (30°C) / Public land
Arizona (Ringbolt) Hot Springs is a group of three geothermal springs in White Rock Canyon of the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, below Hoover Dam in Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Water emerges at 110 degrees F, drops over a 25-foot waterfall and collects in gravel-bottomed rock pools reached by a ladder; the National Park Service closes the trail in summer because of extreme heat.
Camp Verde
- Verde Hot Springs
near Camp Verde / 104°F (40°C) / Unknown
Verde Hot Springs is a grouping of thermal mineral springs near the town of Camp Verde in Yavapai County, Arizona. The springs are located at the western bank of the Verde River.
Eden
- Indian Hot Springs
near Eden / 118°F (48°C) / Unknown
Indian Hot Springs, also known as Holladay Hot Springs and Eden Hot Springs, is a geothermal spring system located near Eden, Arizona in the former settlement of Indian Hot Springs, Arizona.
Morristown
- Castle Hot Springs
near Morristown / 115°F (46°C) / Resort or commercial
Castle Hot Springs is a restored historic resort in Morristown, Arizona. The original property opened in 1896 and the historic hotel claims the title of state's first wellness resort.
Payson
- Tonto Natural Bridge Spring
near Payson / 72°F (22°C) / Public land
This warm spring lies within Tonto Natural Bridge State Park near Payson, home to what is believed to be the largest natural travertine bridge in the world. The park is a day-use state park with an entrance fee and hiking trails; it is not a soaking destination.
Other locations
- Agua Caliente
86°F (30°C) / Unknown
Agua Caliente is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 86°F (30°C).
- Agua Caliente Spring
90°F (32°C) / Unknown
Agua Caliente Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 90°F (32°C).
- Agua Caliente Springs
102°F (39°C) / Unknown
Agua Caliente Springs is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 102°F (39°C).
- Antelope Spring
79°F (26°C) / Unknown
Antelope Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 79°F (26°C).
- Arizona (Ringbolt) Hot Springs
Unknown
Arizona (Ringbolt) Hot Springs, also known as simply Ringbolt Hot Springs or Arizona Hot Springs, is a group of three geothermal springs located near Hoover Dam, Arizona. They are located on the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
- Astin Spring
75°F (24°C) / Unknown
Astin Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 75°F (24°C).
- Buckhorn Hot Mineral Wells
Unknown
Buckhorn Hot Mineral Wells also known as Buckhorn Baths, and Buckhorn Mineral Wells is a hot spring located seven miles East of Mesa, Arizona.
- Caliche Spring
79°F (26°C) / Unknown
Caliche Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 79°F (26°C).
- Casa Grande Spring
72°F (22°C) / Unknown
Casa Grande Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 72°F (22°C).
- Cassadore Spring
73°F (23°C) / Unknown
Cassadore Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 73°F (23°C).
- Clifton Hot Springs
Greenlee County / 102°F (39°C) / Unknown
Clifton Hot Springs is a geothermal spring in Arizona (Greenlee County) with a recorded surface temperature of 102°F (39°C).
- Cofer Hot Spring
Mohave County / 97°F (36°C) / Unknown
Cofer Hot Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona (Mohave County) with a recorded surface temperature of 97°F (36°C).
- Colorado Pool
86°F (30°C) / Unknown
Colorado Pool is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 86°F (30°C).
- Coolidge Dam Warm Spring
99°F (37°C) / Unknown
Coolidge Dam Warm Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 99°F (37°C).
- Eagle Creek Hot Springs
97°F (36°C) / Unknown
Eagle Creek Hot Springs is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 97°F (36°C).
- El Dorado Hot Springs
Unknown
El Dorado Hot Springs is a geothermal spring in Arizona.
- Frost Mine Spring
70°F (21°C) / Unknown
Frost Mine Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 70°F (21°C).
- Gillard Hot Spring
Greenlee County / 180°F (82°C) / Unknown
Gillard Hot Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona (Greenlee County) with a recorded surface temperature of 180°F (82°C).
- Gold Strike Hot Springs
Unknown
Gold Strike Hot Springs, also known as Goldstrike Hot Springs, Nevada Hot Springs and Gold Strike Canyon Hot Springs are a group of hot springs near Hoover Dam on the Arizona/Nevada border near historic Boulder City. They are in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
- Grapevine Spring
91°F (33°C) / Unknown
Grapevine Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 91°F (33°C).
- Hannah Hot Spring
Greenlee County / 133°F (56°C) / Unknown
Hannah Hot Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona (Greenlee County) with a recorded surface temperature of 133°F (56°C).
- Hookers Hot Springs
127°F (53°C) / Unknown
Hookers Hot Springs is a hot spring in the southern foothills of the Galiuro Mountains in Cochise County, on a ranch established in the 1860s where spring water was once piped into a bathhouse. It now lies on the Muleshoe Ranch, co-managed by The Nature Conservancy, the Bureau of Land Management and the Coronado National Forest.
- Hot Spring
Unknown
Listed by NCEI as a thermal spring with a hot maximum surface temperature (no measured value recorded).
- Hot Spring
Greenlee County / 138°F (59°C) / Unknown
Hot Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona (Greenlee County) with a recorded surface temperature of 138°F (59°C).
- Hot Spring
Yavapai County / Unknown
Hot Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona (Yavapai County).
- Hot Springs
Greenlee County / Unknown
Hot Springs is a geothermal spring in Arizona (Greenlee County).
- Hot Well Dunes
Unknown
Hot Well Dunes is a hot spring in the San Simeon Valley of Arizona, located on BLM land southeast of the town of Safford.
- Kaiser Hot Spring
99°F (37°C) / Unknown
Kaiser Hot Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 99°F (37°C).
- Lava Warm Springs
90°F (32°C) / Unknown
Lava Warm Springs is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 90°F (32°C).
- Lewis Spring
68°F (20°C) / Unknown
Lewis Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 68°F (20°C).
- Lost Man Hot Spring
Mohave County / Unknown
Lost Man Hot Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona (Mohave County).
- Mercer Spring
77°F (25°C) / Unknown
Mercer Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 77°F (25°C).
- Mescal Warm Spring
Gila County / 84°F (29°C) / Unknown
Mescal Warm Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona (Gila County) with a recorded surface temperature of 84°F (29°C).
- Mitchell Spring
79°F (26°C) / Unknown
Mitchell Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 79°F (26°C).
- Monkey Spring
82°F (28°C) / Unknown
Monkey Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 82°F (28°C).
- N-O Spring
73°F (23°C) / Unknown
N-O Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 73°F (23°C).
- Nevada Hot Spring
Mohave County / Unknown
Nevada Hot Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona (Mohave County).
- Oatman Warm Springs
91°F (33°C) / Unknown
Oatman Warm Springs is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 91°F (33°C).
- Pakoon Springs
86°F (30°C) / Unknown
Pakoon Springs is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 86°F (30°C).
- Pioneer Spring
91°F (33°C) / Unknown
Pioneer Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 91°F (33°C).
- Pumpkin Spring
Unknown
Pumpkin Spring is a geothermal heated mineral water hot spring located in the Grand Canyon in Arizona. The spring gets its name due to the bright orange mineral and organic deposits that have accumulated on the flowstone, giving it the appearance of a huge pumpkin.
- Quitobaquito Springs
90°F (32°C) / Unknown
Quitobaquito Springs is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 90°F (32°C).
- Radium Hot Springs
140°F (60°C) / Unknown
Radium Hot Springs is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 140°F (60°C).
- Ringbolt Hot Spring
Mohave County / Unknown
Ringbolt Hot Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona (Mohave County).
- Roosevelt Dam Springs
118°F (48°C) / Unknown
Roosevelt Dam Springs is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 118°F (48°C).
- Roper Lake State Park Hot Spring
Unknown
Roper Lake State Park Hot Spring is a single geothermal mineral spring in Roper Lake State Park, Safford, Arizona.
- Salado Springs
72°F (22°C) / Unknown
Salado Springs is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 72°F (22°C).
- Salt Banks
78°F (26°C) / Unknown
Salt Banks is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 78°F (26°C).
- Seep
95°F (35°C) / Unknown
Seep is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 95°F (35°C).
- Sheep Bridge Hot Spring
Unknown
The Verde River Sheep Bridge, also known as the Red Point Sheep Bridge, is a suspension bridge which crosses the Verde River in Arizona. Constructed primarily to allow sheep to be driven between grazing ranges on either side of the river.
- Soda Spring
75°F (24°C) / Unknown
Soda Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 75°F (24°C).
- Spring
72°F (22°C) / Unknown
Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 72°F (22°C).
- Spring
75°F (24°C) / Unknown
Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 75°F (24°C).
- Spring
82°F (28°C) / Unknown
Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 82°F (28°C).
- Spring
72°F (22°C) / Unknown
Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 72°F (22°C).
- Spring (Hot)
99°F (37°C) / Unknown
Spring (Hot) is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 99°F (37°C).
- Springs
79°F (26°C) / Unknown
Springs is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 79°F (26°C).
- Tom Brown Warm Spring
82°F (28°C) / Unknown
Tom Brown Warm Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 82°F (28°C).
- Trout Creek Spring
81°F (27°C) / Unknown
Trout Creek Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 81°F (27°C).
- Tuakay Hot Springs
Maricopa County / Unknown
Tuakay Hot Springs is a geothermal spring in Arizona (Maricopa County).
- Warm Spring
90°F (32°C) / Unknown
Warm Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 90°F (32°C).
- Warm Spring
Gila County / Unknown
Warm Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona (Gila County).
- Warm Spring
Yavapai County / Unknown
Warm Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona (Yavapai County).
- Warm Spring
73°F (23°C) / Unknown
Warm Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 73°F (23°C).
- Warm Spring
Gila County / Unknown
Listed by NCEI as a thermal spring with a warm maximum surface temperature (no measured value recorded).
- Warm Spring
Graham County / 79°F (26°C) / Unknown
Warm Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona (Graham County) with a recorded surface temperature of 79°F (26°C).
- Warm Spring
Gila County / Unknown
Warm Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona (Gila County).
- Warm Spring
Apache County / Unknown
Warm Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona (Apache County).
- Warm Spring
Gila County / Unknown
Warm Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona (Gila County).
- Warm Spring
Mohave County / Unknown
Warm Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona (Mohave County).
- Warm Spring
Mohave County / Unknown
Warm Spring is a geothermal spring in Arizona (Mohave County).
- Warm Springs
91°F (33°C) / Unknown
Warm Springs is a geothermal spring in Arizona with a recorded surface temperature of 91°F (33°C).
- Warm Springs
Gila County / 86°F (30°C) / Unknown
Warm Springs is a geothermal spring in Arizona (Gila County) with a recorded surface temperature of 86°F (30°C).
- Warm Springs
Coconino County / Unknown
Warm Springs is a geothermal spring in Arizona (Coconino County).
- Warm Springs
Coconino County / Unknown
Warm Springs is a geothermal spring in Arizona (Coconino County).
- Warm Springs
Mohave County / Unknown
Warm Springs is a geothermal spring in Arizona (Mohave County).