46 public soaking sites, 15 states

Hot Springs by State

Q: Which states have the most hot springs?

On NOAA's Thermal Springs List for the United States, Nevada (312), California (304) and Idaho (232) list the most, out of 1661 thermal springs in 23 states. The list counts springs, pools, geysers and steam vents at 68 F or warmer, not places to soak; the public soaking sites by state are in the table above.

Q: What are the rules at public hot springs?

Each site sets its own, and every state page quotes them. Of the 46 agency pages quoted, 4 set a rule on glass, 13 set a rule on dogs, 7 set a rule on clothing, 15 set a rule on camping and 8 set a rule on hours. Common ones are day use hours, no glass, and dogs on a leash or kept out of the pools.

15 states have a hot spring that a public agency lists for soaking, from forest service pools at the edge of a river to a state bath house and two working bathhouses in a national park. Every site below carries the agency’s own fee, season, access and rules, quoted and linked.

States with a public soak

35 more listed below

Sites listed by their agency

run by 10 federal, state and city agencies

Sites with no fee posted

California, Idaho, New Mexico, West Virginia, Wyoming

1661

Thermal springs on NOAA’s list

across 23 states

The map

Where the public hot springs are

Soaking sites cluster in the mountain west, where the same geology that built the ranges still heats groundwater. Idaho (11), New Mexico (5) and Oregon (5) list the most. Each square below is a state, shaded by how many sites its agencies list for soaking; the shaded squares link to that state’s page.

Public soaking sites listed by federal, state and city agencies

None listed
1 or 2
3 to 5
6 or more

State by state

Public hot springs by state

One row per state with a page, counting only the springs a public agency lists for soaking. A site reaches the “no fee posted” column when the agency’s own fee line says so; everywhere else the fee is the managing office’s to state, and each state page quotes it.

Public hot springs by state, from the agency that runs each site
State	Soaking sites	No fee posted	Agencies
Alaska	1	Fees set by site	USDA Forest Service
Arizona	2	Fees set by site	National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management
Arkansas	2	Fees set by site	National Park Service
California	4	Remington Hot Springs	California State Parks, USDA Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management
Colorado	4	Fees set by site	USDA Forest Service, City of Ouray
Florida	1	Fees set by site	City of North Port
Idaho	11	Goldbug Hot Springs	USDA Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Lava Hot Springs Foundation (State of Idaho)
Nevada	2	Fees set by site	National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management
New Mexico	5	Frisco Hot Spring	USDA Forest Service, National Park Service
Oregon	5	Fees set by site	USDA Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Texas	1	Fees set by site	National Park Service
Utah	1	Fees set by site	USDA Forest Service
Washington	2	Fees set by site	National Park Service
West Virginia	3	Berkeley Springs public springs	West Virginia State Parks
Wyoming	2	State Bath House, Hot Springs State Park	Wyoming State Parks, Historic Sites and Trails, USDA Forest Service

A small waterfall pouring between two pale boulders into a clear green pool, with steam drifting off the top of the fall — The falls and a lower pool at Goldbug Hot Springs, Idaho. The first quarter mile of the trail crosses private property on a public easement, and the BLM asks for dogs on a leash there. “Goldbug Hotsprings (25920311177)”, BLMIdaho, Public domain

The two parks

Hot Springs National Park and Yellowstone

Two national parks carry most of the searching, and the answer at each is the opposite of what the name suggests. Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas has thermal water to soak in, indoors, on Bathhouse Row. Yellowstone has more hot springs than anywhere else in the country and soaking in them is prohibited.

Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas

There are no outdoor soaking opportunities in the park. However, Bathhouse Row does have 2 available facilities that offer visitors the chance to fully submerge and relax in the thermal water.

National Park Service, Hot Springs National Park thermal springs, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

Hot Springs National Park is a fee-free park! There is no entrance fee nor are there any additional charges for the park's brochure, junior ranger program, or ranger-led tours.

National Park Service, Hot Springs National Park fees, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

Even though the water comes out of the ground at 143 degrees F, it is cool enough to touch by the time it reaches the pools.

National Park Service, Hot Springs National Park thermal springs, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

Legionella bacteria have been identified in some water samples and can present a risk of illness if water is inhaled, particularly to those with compromised immune systems or other medical conditions.

National Park Service, Hot Springs National Park thermal springs, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

The two bathhouses set their own minimum ages, for people 10 & older at the Buckstaff and for people 14 & older at the Quapaw. The full listing is on the Arkansas page.

The white stucco front of the Lamar Bathhouse on Bathhouse Row, with the blue striped awnings of the Buckstaff Bathhouse beyond — The Lamar and Buckstaff bathhouses on Bathhouse Row, Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas. The park's thermal water is soaked indoors, in the bathhouses on the row. “Bathhouse Row, Lamar, Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas”, SaraDGarland, CC BY-SA 4.0

Yellowstone National Park

More than 20 people have died from burns suffered after they entered or fell into Yellowstone’s hot springs. For your safety and for the protection of thermal features in Yellowstone, it is illegal to swim or bathe in any water that is entirely of thermal origin.

National Park Service, Yellowstone safety, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

the water in park hot springs often reaches the boiling point

National Park Service, swimming in Yellowstone, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

No swimming at Boiling River.

National Park Service, Boiling River, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

Currently, swimming is not possible at Boiling River because of the impacts to the river from the 2022 floods

National Park Service, Boiling River, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

Boiling River, below Mammoth, was the one place in the park where people soaked, in the river where a thermal channel enters it. The Park Service states it as above. Wyoming’s own soaking sites are on the Wyoming page.

How many springs

Thermal springs counted by state

NOAA’s Thermal Springs List for the United States counts 1661 thermal features in 23 states: Natural surface hydrothermal features (springs, pools, mud pots, mud volcanoes, geysers, fumaroles and steam vents) at 20 C (68 F) or warmer; temperatures are the maximum reported surface reading. Most of them are on remote ground, on land with no public access, or too hot to go near, so the count is a measure of a state’s geology rather than a list of places to soak. The soaking sites are in the table above.

Thermal springs counted by NOAA, by state
State	Thermal springs listed	Hottest listed feature
Nevada	312	210 F
California	304	214 F
Idaho	232	203 F
Wyoming	132	205 F
Oregon	126	207 F
Utah	116	187 F
Alaska	108	310 F
New Mexico	77	189 F
Montana	61	181 F
Arizona	60	180 F
Colorado	47	181 F
Washington	30	266 F
Hawaii	11	97 F
Virginia	11	106 F
Texas	9	117 F
Georgia	7	88 F
Arkansas	6	147 F
West Virginia	5	73 F
Florida	2	86 F
South Dakota	2	87 F
Massachusetts	1	75 F
New York	1	72 F
North Carolina	1	108 F

Thermal Springs List for the United States, compiled by George W. Berry, Paul J. Grim and Joy A. Ikelman, NOAA Key to Geophysical Records Documentation No. 12, 1980; published by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (formerly the National Geophysical Data Center). Data file read September 22, 2026: the thermal springs list and its documentation. The temperature column is the hottest surface reading the list carries for the state, which can be a fumarole or a steam vent rather than a pool.

The water

What the CDC and the Park Service say about soaking

Two hazards come up in every agency’s own words: what lives in warm water, and how hot the ground and the water can be. Both are quoted below as the agencies write them, and they appear again on every state page.

Always keep your head above water in hot springs and other naturally hot (geothermal) water.

CDC, Preventing Brain Infection When Swimming, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

Naegleria fowleri lives in soil and warm freshwater lakes, rivers, ponds, and hot springs around the world.

CDC, Naegleria fowleri Infections, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

Hold your nose shut or use a nose clip if you jump or dive into the water.

CDC, Preventing Brain Infection When Swimming, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

Avoid digging in, or stirring up, sediment in shallow fresh water. Naegleria fowleri amebas are more likely to live in sediment at the bottom of lakes, ponds, and rivers.

CDC, Preventing Brain Infection When Swimming, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

All thermal waters contain organisms that may cause illness, including skin rash, gastrointestinal illness (vomiting and diarrhea), or other infections that can be life-threatening.

National Park Service, swimming in Yellowstone, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

Burns from thermal features are a common cause of serious injury and death in the park. The ground surrounding these features may look solid, but it can be just a thin crust with super-heated water below.

National Park Service, Yellowstone safety, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

Even thermal runoff can be extremely hot and cause burns.

National Park Service, Yellowstone safety, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

Toxic gases may accumulate to dangerous levels in some hydrothermal areas. If you begin to feel sick while exploring a geyser basin, leave the area immediately.

National Park Service, Yellowstone safety, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

Pets are not allowed in thermal areas or on boardwalks, even if they're on a leash or carried in arms, strollers, or backpacks.

National Park Service, Yellowstone safety, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

More states

Thermal springs in the other 35 states

These states have no spring that a public agency lists for soaking. Several have thermal water on NOAA’s list, and a few have a thermal feature an agency lists for looking at, so both are named here.

Alabama: no thermal springs on NOAA's list
Connecticut: no thermal springs on NOAA's list
Delaware: no thermal springs on NOAA's list
Georgia: 7 thermal springs on NOAA's list
Hawaii: 11 thermal springs on NOAA's list
Illinois: no thermal springs on NOAA's list
Indiana: no thermal springs on NOAA's list
Iowa: no thermal springs on NOAA's list
Kansas: no thermal springs on NOAA's list
Kentucky: no thermal springs on NOAA's list
Louisiana: no thermal springs on NOAA's list
Maine: no thermal springs on NOAA's list
Maryland: no thermal springs on NOAA's list
Massachusetts: 1 thermal spring on NOAA's list
Michigan: no thermal springs on NOAA's list
Minnesota: no thermal springs on NOAA's list
Mississippi: no thermal springs on NOAA's list
Missouri: no thermal springs on NOAA's list
Montana: 61 thermal springs on NOAA's list
Nebraska: no thermal springs on NOAA's list
New Hampshire: no thermal springs on NOAA's list
New Jersey: no thermal springs on NOAA's list
New York: 1 thermal spring on NOAA's list
North Carolina: 1 thermal spring on NOAA's list
North Dakota: no thermal springs on NOAA's list
Ohio: no thermal springs on NOAA's list
Oklahoma: no thermal springs on NOAA's list
Pennsylvania: no thermal springs on NOAA's list
Rhode Island: no thermal springs on NOAA's list
South Carolina: no thermal springs on NOAA's list
South Dakota: 2 thermal springs on NOAA's list
Tennessee: no thermal springs on NOAA's list
Vermont: no thermal springs on NOAA's list
Virginia: 11 thermal springs on NOAA's list
Wisconsin: no thermal springs on NOAA's list

By state

Hot springs, state by state

Snowpack by stateHow deep the snow is on the mountains above the springs, from the snow telemetry network.First snowWhen the first snow usually falls in each state, the start of the soaking season.Mountain passesWinter conditions and chain rules on the highways that reach the mountain springs.Winter forecastHow cold and how wet the coming winter looks in each state, over the soaking season.

Hot springs questions

Which states have the most hot springs?

Where are the free hot springs?

5 public soaking sites state no fee on the agency's own page: Remington Hot Springs in California, Goldbug Hot Springs in Idaho, Frisco Hot Spring in New Mexico, Berkeley Springs public springs in West Virginia and State Bath House, Hot Springs State Park in Wyoming. Another 14 charge a day use, parking or soaking fee, and the rest leave the fee to the site's managing office, so check there before a trip.

Can you swim in the hot springs at Yellowstone?

No. The National Park Service: "More than 20 people have died from burns suffered after they entered or fell into Yellowstone’s hot springs. For your safety and for the protection of thermal features in Yellowstone, it is illegal to swim or bathe in any water that is entirely of thermal origin." The Boiling River soak is closed too: "No swimming at Boiling River." "Currently, swimming is not possible at Boiling River because of the impacts to the river from the 2022 floods".

Can you soak at Hot Springs National Park?

Indoors, on Bathhouse Row. The National Park Service: "There are no outdoor soaking opportunities in the park. However, Bathhouse Row does have 2 available facilities that offer visitors the chance to fully submerge and relax in the thermal water." The park itself charges no entrance fee: "Hot Springs National Park is a fee-free park! There is no entrance fee nor are there any additional charges for the park's brochure, junior ranger program, or ranger-led tours."

What is the risk from brain eating amoeba in hot springs?

Naegleria fowleri is rare and serious. The CDC: "Naegleria fowleri lives in soil and warm freshwater lakes, rivers, ponds, and hot springs around the world." Its advice is to keep water out of your nose: "Always keep your head above water in hot springs and other naturally hot (geothermal) water." The CDC also notes "You cannot get a Naegleria fowleri infection from swallowing water containing the ameba."

Can you go to hot springs in winter?

Many stay open, with harder access. From the agency pages: Hot Well Dunes Recreation Area hot tubs (Arizona): Most use is in fall, winter and spring; summers are extremely hot. The tubs fill from a solar pump, are typically full an hour after sunrise and an hour before sunset, and drain nightly. Rainbow Hot Springs (Colorado): About 5.3 miles on West Fork Trail 561 from the trailhead off West Fork Road; in winter the road closes and the trip is about 7.5 miles. Piedra River Hot Springs (Colorado): Best in spring and fall; winter brings snow and ice on the trail. Check the managing office for road and trail conditions before a winter trip.

What are the rules at public hot springs?

All thermal waters contain organisms that may cause illness, including skin rash, gastrointestinal illness (vomiting and diarrhea), or other infections that can be life-threatening.

National Park Service, swimming in Yellowstone, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

Compiled September 22, 2026 from the federal, state and city agency page for each site, with the page and the date it was read on every state page. Fees, seasons and access change between seasons, a spring can be closed by flood, fire or repair at short notice, and a soak is at the soaker’s own risk, so the managing office is the one to check before a trip. Start with a state on the list above.