Hot springs near Salt Lake City

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.

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.

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.

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.

An old-fashioned family resort in the Marsh Valley, Downata pairs a 1929 spring-fed swimming pool (chlorinated, with three slides including the 351-foot Dragon Slide) with quieter soaking pools at 99 to 102 degrees. Those hot pools are unchlorinated and flow-through, and they're for soaking only: no swimming, no splashing. A $12 Hot Pool Pass gets you in; the $22 Everything Pass adds the slides. In summer the hot pools close on Sundays. You can sleep in a cabin, a yurt or a Conestoga wagon, but pool admission isn't included in lodging rates, so budget for both.

A town-centre soak owned by the state: the springs were deeded to Idaho in 1902, and the Lava Hot Springs Foundation runs them today. Five outdoor pools with gravel or rock bottoms step down from 112 degrees to 102. The water is untreated, has no sulfur smell, and more than 2.5 million gallons pass through in a day. Come midweek if you can. Adults pay $8 Monday to Thursday against $12 at weekends, and Wednesday's family pass covers four for $26. It's open until 10 or 11pm most nights. There's no cold pool, and alcohol and glass stay outside.

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.

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.

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.

Down in the Hagerman Valley near Buhl, Miracle has four big outdoor pools kept between 96 and 106 degrees by season, plus private pools for four and VIP pools for six where you set the temperature yourself. The water is alkaline at pH 9.6, unchlorinated, and the pools are drained and refilled every day. Everything is by reservation, so book before you set off, and note it's closed Sundays. A single-visit price isn't posted; if you'll be back, a ten-visit package is $135. You can sleep over in a geodesic dome, and Twin Falls is about 40 minutes away.

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.