Lightfeather Hot Spring (Middle Fork)

The easy wilderness soak in the Gila: about three-quarters of a mile, roughly 20 minutes, up Middle Fork Trail 157 from the Gila Visitor Center. Don't put your face under; the NPS warns of Naegleria fowleri. The spring comes out of the base of a hill at about 130 F and pulses roughly once a minute, so you soak in rock-lined pools built in the river, where it mixes with the cold water. The trail crosses the river, and those crossings can be hazardous at high water. Pair it with the cliff dwellings for a full day.