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Road Trip To Nevada’s 5 Best Hot Springs

This post was updated on March 15th, 2024

hot springs
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Road Trip To Nevada’s 5 Best Hot Springs

During the winter season, keeping warm is at the back of everyone’s mind and what better way to warm up than soaking in natural hot springs?

Nevada has the most hot springs in the country with more than 300 naturally occurring. Below are some of the most highly-rated hot springs in the state; most of them are very remote and offer primitive camping. So if basking under the stars after soaking in a tub is your idea of a good time, follow this guide to road trip through Nevada dipping into some of the state’s best springs! 

1. Spencer Hot Springs: Austin, NV

One of the most consistently highly-rated hot springs in Nevada is Spencer Hot Springs outside the town of Austin, located about three hours from Reno. These easily accessible hot springs consist of three (sometimes four) source pools, two of which are cowboy tubs/metal cattle troughs.

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Austin is located just off “America’s Loneliest Road”, a designation given to the Nevada portion of U.S. Route 50 in 1986 by Life magazine. These beautiful springs in the Big Smoky Valley have controllable temperatures and beautiful views.

Camp nearby for free in the Hickison Petroglyph Recreation Area located 20 minutes north. Campsites have fire rings and bathrooms. Or head to nearby Austin to the Pony Express RV Park or Austin RV Park.

2. Alkali Hot Springs: Goldfield, NV

These remote hot springs are a great stopover, located on I-95 near the semi-abandoned ghost town of Goldfield. Once a resort, all that remains at Alkali are two in-ground, cement-lined soaking tubs of about 100 degrees which allegedly can be adjusted with enough patience.

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Alkali Hot Springs. Photo by Travel Nevada, courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

Each tub is about three feet deep and can fit four people. Enjoy the climate of the high desert where cold nights make soaking in a tub an amazing experience.

You’ll most likely have the place to yourself so enjoy the views and make sure to clean up after yourself since these are not very maintained. While technically the springs are on private land, free camping is allowed as long as everything trekked in is trekked out.

3. Fish Lake Valley Hot Springs: Dyer, NV

Like any good hot spring, this one is off the beaten path and surrounded by natural beauty. Located near Dyer and Tonopah, the halfway point between Reno and Vegas, Fish Lake Valley Hot Springs are a popular destination for their camping amenities of firepits and BBQs.

hot springs
Fish Lake Valley Hot Springs. Photo by Travel Nevada, courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

In the middle of Nevada’s Great Basin, the hot springs are surrounded by two mountain ranges—the White Mountains and Silver Peak Mountains—as well as Boundary Peak, Nevada’s highest peak.

The springs consist of a three-foot deep large concrete pool and two natural warm ponds nearby, all of which are well-maintained. For a less primitive camping option, head to nearby Dyer to the Esmeralda RV Park & Campground

4. Soldier Meadows Hot Springs: Gerlach, NV

Even more remote than the others on this list, Soldier Meadows Hot Springs is located near Gerlach, about 3 ½ hours north of Reno at the tip of the Black Rock Desert.

The off-grid pools are a part of the Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area, which is comprised of 1.2 million acres, the largest collection of public lands in the contiguous U.S.

hot springs
Soldier Meadows hot springs. Photo by Travel Nevada, courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

There are multiple natural pools (roughly six) including one main pool and a nearby stream for cooling off. Enjoy the beautiful views of the desert and the nearby Calico Mountain Range and Black Rock Mountain Range.

This historic area was once home to pioneers trekking through in the 1800s, rewarded for their journey by these hot pools. The area is managed by BLM so feel free to boondock or even possibly snag the BLM management cabin. Or park your RV at Soldier Meadows Ranch, a working cattle ranch right next to the springs that provides home-cooked meals.

5. Black Rock Hot Springs: Gerlach, NV

Also located near Gerlach, Black Rock Hot Springs sits on the same playa that is home to thousands each year for the annual Burning Man event. During the rest of the year, this vast desert landscape is empty, making for a trippy and memorable experience for anyone who visits.

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Black Rock Hot Spring. Photo by Miles Actually, courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

The hot springs is about 100 feet in size and three-to-four feet deep with a muddy, natural bottom. The water tends to run hot—sometimes even too hot—so dip a toe before jumping in.

As the desert is made of dry lakebed, avoid driving on the playa—the only way to get to the hot spring—if there’s any amount of precipitation or mud, you will get stuck. The area is all BLM land so there is plenty of dispersed camping available! The springs also has a dock in the middle and a logbook on-site. 

Find more Nevada destinations

You can find more great destinations in Nevada while planning your trip with the RV LIFE Pro tools. With RV LIFE Trip Wizard and the RV LIFE App, you can easily get RV-safe GPS directions as well as discover more campgrounds and points of interest along the way.

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