What beats soaking in natural hot springs in stunning scenery? We’ll one-up you – soaking in a free natural hot spring in a memorable setting. Below are five such spots around the country with fantastic places to camp nearby. So pack your bathing suit and camping gear and get ready for a fun-filled and relaxing time.
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1. Radium Hot Springs, Colorado
Where to Stay: Yampa River State Park, Colorado
Located along the Colorado River, about 15 miles southwest of Kremmling, Colorado, are the famed Radium Hot Springs. While the state’s big-named hot springs draw crowds from afar and can cost a pretty penny, Radium Hot Springs is a favorite with the locals and is free. Its mineral-rich pools and stunning landscape is why it’s so treasured. There’s a short hike to get there – about three-fourths of a mile – and the reward is a large hot spring in an undeveloped area. You can access the waters from the rocky shore, or soak in the view from the 45-foot cliff. The springs are ideal for a day trip, and the trailhead is easily accessed about three-quarters of a mile from the parking lot on County HWY 11.
Yampa River State Park, located in the beautiful Yampa Valley about an hour and a half northwest of Radium Hot Springs, is an attraction unto itself. There are plenty of recreation opportunities in the area, including some outstanding hiking on primarily Bureau of Land Management lands. There are 51 campsites, including two tipis.
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2. Trail Creek Hot Springs
Where to Stay: Lake Cascade State Park, Idaho
Soak up the wilderness and some relaxing natural water at Trail Creek Hot Springs. Despite its popularity with the locals, Trail Creek Hot Springs offers so many pools for plunging that you’ll likely find a spot to yourself. Right in the middle of fine Idaho scenery, soakers relax amidst towering pine trees and natural rock formations. The spring remains a scorching 116 degrees, but a valve system allows cold river water into the pools for your preferred temperature.
Lake Cascade State Park is located about a 30-minute drive from the hot springs, a drive that takes you through some truly beautiful country adjacent to the Boise National Forest. The campsite has 221 sites, including a group yurt for rent.
3. Fifth Water Hot Springs
Where to Stay: Great Salt Lake State Park, Utah
Fifth Water Hot Springs is another free spot in the wilderness that requires a short trek to access. Located along Fifth Water Creek near Mapleton, Utah, you can reach the springs and waterfalls from the Three Forks Trailhead in Diamond Fork Canyon, or from the Rays Valley Trailhead, hiking about 2.5 miles.
There are several soaking pools filled with clear waters that vary in temperature depending on where you position yourself in the pools or by regulating the water flows into the pools. What’s more, into the springs flows a series of three picturesque waterfalls. The lower waterfall comes right down next to the main soaking pool. The second is a stunning multi-tiered waterfall that’s worth searching out. A third waterfall exists further up the stream.
During warm months, the pools can be heavily trafficked. During wintertime, packed snow allows you to hike to the pools without snowshoes, but you’ll need a four-wheel-drive vehicle to reach the trailhead.
Great Salt Lake State Park, set alongside the iconic lake for which it’s named, is of course a destination in and of itself. Activities in the park include walking along the beach, swimming, boating, birding, kayaking, and simply taking in the sweeping views of the lake. It’s about an hour and a half drive to the springs, and campers can choose from seven campsites, including full hookups and primitive camping.
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4. Thundering Springs, Georgia
Where to Stay: F.D. Roosevelt State Park, Georgia
Located not far from famed Warm Springs, Georgia is Thundering Springs. A warm pool of water is heated by a warm spring in its center and fed by a small stream. The springs were once enclosed in a wooden framework for bathing, which is now worn down, but has a rustic charm and is also of historic interest; Horace King, a freed slave and bridge builder built this enduring structure in the 1840s.
Thundering Springs is about a half-hour drive from Warm Springs, which became well-known after FDR made it his home-away-from-home in the 1920s. He turned Warm Springs into a therapeutic center for himself and other polio survivors where they could find relief in the area’s therapeutic natural waters. Today, visitors to Warm Springs can tour Roosevelt’s Little White House Historic Site and see the former president’s modest home and the pools that he so loved.
The pools cannot be accessed (except once a year) to maintain their historic importance. Hence, a trip to Thundering Spring, only a half hours’ drive from F.D. Roosevelt Park and a ten-minute drive from Warm Springs is the perfect way to get a sense of what it was like to soak in Warm Springs’ historic waters. The park is also the largest in the state, offering fantastic hiking and wildlife viewing. There are 175 campsites, including 21 cottages, plus backcountry and pioneer camping.
Are you ready for your adventure? Plan your camping trip!