Utah gives you two kinds of soak, and a short drive from Salt Lake City reaches both. Near the city are the developed ones. Crystal Hot Springs at Honeyville has run as a commercial resort for generations. Homestead Crater at Midway is a geothermal dome you swim inside, by reservation. Yes, inside. Mystic at Monroe sets its soaking tubs below a spring that has fed the site since the pioneer era.
Further out are the wild ones. Fifth Water in Diamond Fork Canyon is a hike-in chain of creek pools on national forest land, and the busiest wild spring in the state. Meadow sits on private land the owners keep open to visitors. Baker is remote enough to be empty most days.
Short distances mean big crowds, so Utah's wild springs are managed harder than they look. Read the owner's or land manager's page, linked under each entry, before you set off.
Fifth Water has a standing Utah DEQ health watch for waterborne pathogens, and the July 15, 2026 update reported several people with severe rashes and blisters this summer. Follow the posted precautions. Parking takes a $10 three-day pass or an interagency pass, the lot is tiny, and they tow.
Pah Tempe in La Verkin has been closed to the public since 2013. Its water now feeds Zion Canyon Hot Springs, a resort in La Verkin that opened in 2025, and that's the only way to soak in it.
Meadow is private land, open by the owners' goodwill. Donations are encouraged, there's no camping, proper attire is required, and access can be taken away. Be the visitor who keeps it open.
Veyo Pool is a warm, spring-fed swimming pool, open May to October only.
Crystal Hot Springs in Honeyville has been open since 1901, back when it was Madsen Hot Springs, and its odd party trick is a 120 to 134 F hot spring rising less than 50 feet from a cold one. Today you get a soaker and cave pool, three hot tubs, a lap pool and a slide pool, with temperatures posted by staff every hour. Adult entry is $18, plus $2 for the waterslide. The pools open afternoons and evenings year-round, but closed on Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas and whenever there's lightning. Camping is no longer offered, so book a bed elsewhere.
Here's a novelty: a geothermal pool inside a 55-foot limestone dome on the Homestead resort grounds in Midway, about 65 feet deep and holding around 90 to 96 F all year. People soak, snorkel and even scuba dive in it. A session costs $30 for an hour, of which about 40 minutes is in the water, so think of it as a memorable dip, and plan the rest of the afternoon elsewhere. Book ahead; walk-ins get in only when there's space. Weekday sessions start at 10:30 a.m., weekends at 9:30 a.m., and both run to 9:30 at night.
Landprivate (water leased from Washington County Water Conservancy District)
WhereLa Verkin, Utah
DriveSt. George ≈ 24 min, Las Vegas ≈ 2 h 24, Salt Lake City ≈ 4 h 30
Zion Canyon Hot Springs opened in 2025 on 15 acres in La Verkin, using the old Pah Tempe water under a deal with the county water district and returning it to the Virgin River afterwards. Select Access gets all ages into 14 natural mineral pools. Premier Access, for adults 21 and over with drinks served, adds 18 more mineral pools and 16 themed pools. Passes come as 3 hours or all day, starting at $46 for adults off-peak and $60 at peak, so go off-peak if price matters. Children 3 to 12 start at $25.
Rustic lodgedrive-upreservations requiredlodging on site
99–110 °F · body temp marked
Water99–110 °F
FeeFrom $28.41
Seasonyear-round
Landprivate
WhereMonroe, Utah
DriveSalt Lake City ≈ 2 h 45, St. George ≈ 2 h 45
Five cast-iron bathtubs set into the travertine are the picture everyone knows, and each fits two adults, which makes Mystic a fine bet for couples. There are also two 20 by 20-foot concrete pools, 2 and 4 feet deep. Every soak is a reserved 2-hour slot, $28.41 for adults, shared with whoever else booked that time, so reserve ahead. The water is cloudy with minerals, and to the relief of many noses, there's no sulfur. You can stay over in a converted bus, a cabin, or at a tent or RV site in Monroe.
DriveSt. George ≈ 30 min, Las Vegas ≈ 2 h 30, Salt Lake City ≈ 4 h 30
Veyo Pool has been filling a private basalt canyon on the Santa Clara River with volcanically heated spring water since 1927. The operator adds no chemicals and drains the pool every night. Your $18 pass also covers rock climbing, crawdad catching and game courts, which makes it a whole family day. Plan around the season, because it's open daily 10 to 6 from May 1 to October 31 and shut the rest of the year. They don't publish a water temperature, so expect a warm swimming pool and leave the hot-tub expectations at home. There are 30 riverside tent sites and a farmhouse for overnights.
Primitivehigh-clearance recommended (graded and dirt desert roads)no fee
°F scale 60–120
Waternot published
FeeFree to soak
Seasonyear-round
LandBLM (Fillmore Field Office area)
WhereDelta, Utah
DriveSalt Lake City ≈ 2 h 45
Way out in the Millard County desert, about 30 miles northwest of Delta, a run of built soaking pools catches water from the Crater Bench geothermal system. The source comes up as hot as about 190 F, so soakers mix hot and cool water in the pools; test before you get in. There's no fee and there are no facilities or services. The roads are graded and dirt, and a high-clearance vehicle is the sensible choice, especially after weather. Bring water, shade and anything you'll need, and enjoy a desert soak beside Fumarole Butte.
Primitivedrive-up (last miles dirt, passable to all vehicles in dry weather)no fee
81 °F · body temp marked
Water81 °F
FeeFree to soak
Seasonyear-round
LandBLM (surroundings, per UGS); Utah State Trust Lands to the west
WhereGandy, Utah
DriveSalt Lake City ≈ 3 h 45
Gandy is a swim more than a hot soak: nearly 9,000 gallons a minute of water at up to 81 F tumbles through small waterfalls, a built cobble pool and a cave, half a mile from the Nevada line. Locals come to soak and swim, and the springs are home to a springsnail found nowhere else, so tread lightly. Entry costs nothing, with camping on the surrounding BLM land. There are no facilities, and the nearest services are at the Border Inn about 30 miles south, so fill the tank first. The last miles are dirt, fine for any car when dry.
Primitiveshort walk (gravel road, park before the wet ground)no fee
100 °F · body temp marked
Water100 °F
FeeFree to soak
Seasonyear-round
Landprivate
WhereMeadow, Utah
DriveSalt Lake City ≈ 2 h 30, St. George ≈ 2 h 30
Three deep, clear pools on private ranch land west of Meadow, open to the public only because the owner allows it. The water sits around 100 F and is quite deep, and the county asks visitors to bring life jackets; take that seriously if anyone in your party swims weakly. Treat the owner's goodwill with care. Don't camp, wear proper attire, and park before the wet ground near the pools instead of driving onto it. It's free, with donations welcome for upkeep. The county suggests March to November as the best season to go.
Primitiveshort walk (about 1/4 mile south of Inlet Park trailhead)no fee
°F scale 60–120
Waternot published
FeeFree to soak
Seasonyear-round
Landmunicipal trailhead (City of Saratoga Springs); springs lie outside city limits on the Utah Lake shore
WhereSaratoga Springs, Utah
DriveSalt Lake City ≈ 45 min
Muddy natural hot pools on the northwest shore of Utah Lake, free and close to town. Start at Inlet Park in Saratoga Springs and follow the Saratoga Hot Springs Trail about a quarter mile south; the springs themselves sit just outside city limits. Nobody publishes a water temperature, and the pools are muddy, so bring an old swimsuit and a towel you don't love. Park rules apply at the trailhead, with hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., no overnight parking, no alcohol, and dogs on a leash. Inlet Park also links to the Jordan River Parkway if you want a walk after.
Hike-inhike-in (about 2.5 miles from Three Forks Trailhead)
°F scale 60–120
Waternot published
FeeFrom $10
Seasonyear-round
LandUSFS (Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, Spanish Fork Ranger District)
WhereSpanish Fork, Utah
DriveSalt Lake City ≈ 1 h 15
Read this first: Utah DEQ monitors Fifth Water for harmful bacteria, and its July 15, 2026 update reports severe rashes among soakers. Keep your head out of the water, stay clear of the algae, then dry off and shower afterwards. With that understood, these are natural streamside pools in Diamond Fork Canyon, about 2.5 miles up the trail from Three Forks Trailhead. You'll need a $10 three-day pass per vehicle or an interagency pass. The lot is very small and they ticket and tow, so arrive early or start from the Fifth Water Trailhead on Rays Valley Road. Carry water; the trailhead has none.
Closed when last checked (19 September 2026)Primitiveclosed to the public
107 °F · body temp marked
Water107 °F
FeeSee the operator's prices
Seasonclosed
LandWashington County Water Conservancy District
WhereHurricane, Utah
DriveSt. George ≈ 24 min, Las Vegas ≈ 2 h 24, Salt Lake City ≈ 4 h 30
Closed. Pah Tempe, the La Verkin hot springs on the Virgin River, has been off-limits to soakers since the Washington County Water Conservancy District became sole owner in 2013, so please don't try to get in. The good news is that the water still reaches bathers: the district pipes it to the Zion Canyon Hot Springs resort in La Verkin, and that's now the way to soak in it. For the curious, the springs put out about 5,000 gallons a minute of 107 F water and some 109,000 tons of salt a year.
We last checked every spring here on 19 September 2026, against the page of whoever runs it or manages the land, and that page is linked under each entry. Springs are grouped by what they are rather than ranked, since a resort pool and a creekside rock tub aren't competing for the same afternoon. Where the fee says "See the operator's prices", the price list changes often enough that you're better off reading it there.