How we verify hot springs

Most hot springs information online is copied from page to page and never rechecked. Springs close, get bought, change prices and add reservation systems. We list every known US hot spring and show the date a person checked each verified listing.

Where the list comes from

Our starting point is NOAA's Thermal Springs List for the United States, a federal survey of more than 1,600 thermal springs with their locations and maximum recorded water temperatures. We add springs and resorts that opened since that survey, using public business listings.

What "verified" means

A listing is verified when a member of our team has checked, on the date shown, the spring's status, cost, clothing rules, access, season and reservation rules against the operator's own website or the managing agency (Forest Service, BLM, National Park Service or state parks), plus recent visitor reports. We are verifying listings now, starting with the most visited springs.

Listings we haven't verified yet are clearly marked, and we keep them out of search engines until they are checked.

About temperatures

Temperatures are the maximum recorded at the source in the NOAA survey. Soaking pools are usually cooler than the source, and some sources are hot enough to scald. Always test the water before getting in.

Spot something out of date?

Send us an update. We check every report and re-date the listing.

Credits

Spring locations and temperatures: National Geophysical Data Center / NOAA NCEI; Berry, Grim and Ikelman (1980), Thermal Springs List for the United States, via PANGAEA, doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.981233, licensed CC BY 4.0. Photos are credited on each listing. Maps © OpenStreetMap contributors.