Exploring Hot Springs Wherever I Could Find Them
Over the years I have explored hot springs all over the country—from Idaho, Washington, and Vancouver Island to Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. Pretty much anywhere I could find a hot spring, especially one hidden in the backcountry, it became a destination.
I used to buy guidebooks devoted to the hot springs of the Pacific Northwest, and during my long road trips those books often helped determine where I would hike next. Some springs were easy roadside stops, but many of the best required a real hike, a rough drive, or a paddle. A few excellent springs sat directly along rivers and could only be reached conveniently if you were traveling by canoe or kayak. Those were always especially memorable: arrive after a day on the water, pull over somewhere remote, and soak while the river flowed past.
In 2025, Kym and I traveled through Colorado and visited some of the coolest hot springs I have ever experienced. Pagosa Springs was the standout. I had first visited Pagosa on one of my road trips in the 1980s, back when I could approach from the opposite bank, slip into the springs, and spend most of the night soaking beside the river.
This time we decided to do it differently. Kym and I paid for a hotel room at the springs so we could spend the entire afternoon and evening moving from pool to pool, soaking until about 2:00 in the morning. Then we went back to the room, slept until around nine, and returned for most of the following day. Pagosa Springs has roughly twenty different soaking pools fed by different vents along the river, and the pools vary in temperature. That makes it one of the ultimate hot-spring destinations because you can keep moving until you find exactly the temperature and atmosphere you want.
On that same trip we also visited the wonderful hot springs at Ouray, Colorado, and springs near Taos, New Mexico. Over the years I have also found some really neat clothing-optional hot springs in different parts of the West. I will add photographs from those trips later.
My hot-spring wandering has not been limited to the United States. Near La Fortuna, Costa Rica, I found beautiful warm springs in the shadow of Arenal Volcano. I also visited several springs in Panama, including the ones shown farther down this page. Natural hot springs are probably scattered all over the world, wherever geology brings heated groundwater back to the surface.
The First and Best Hot Spring
Years ago I discovered, almost by accident, an incredible hot spring flowing out of the ground, over a waterfall, through a chasm divided into several pools, and then into the freezing ocean north of Tofino, British Columbia.
The only way to get there was by seaplane or mailboat. We camped for several days right on the ocean in a small, protected, beautiful cove. That taste of paradise was my initiation into the pursuit of natural hot springs throughout the western U.S. and beyond.
Very hot mineral water, about 108°F, flows out of the ground, down a slope, and over a small waterfall. It passes through a short chasm containing a series of pools, each one slightly cooler than the one above it. The lowest pools are level with the ocean, and when the tide rises, incoming waves blast freezing cold water into them. The whirlpool effect is wonderful.
A week later I met a German traveler named Anna, and after backpacking much of the West Coast Trail, we spent three more nights camped at Hot Springs Cove. This place is absolutely incredible.
Hot Springs in Panama
Not all hot springs are tucked away in the mountains of the western U.S. Some of the best travel memories happen when you stumble into warm water, new friends, and a nearby river to cool off in.
These warm springs near Boquete were made even better by having a river close by, giving us the perfect way to alternate between a hot soak and a refreshing cool-down. Read more on my Panama page.
Trail Creek Hot Springs, Idaho
We soaked at dozens of hot springs during the 1992 road trip. Some were easy to find, others took a bit of searching, and the best ones felt like a reward after long days of hiking, climbing, driving, or wandering.
Hot Springs Links
Some of these old links may have moved or disappeared over the years, but this section preserves the spirit of the original page as a starting point for hot spring exploring.
All Photos
Every photograph used on this page is shown again below at full page width. Select any image or its link to open the original full-size file.