Hot springs near Yellowstone: places you can actually soak (you can't inside the park)

At a glance

• North, Gardiner: Yellowstone Hot Springs, about eight miles north of the gate, and Chico Hot Springs Resort & Day Spa, about 30 miles from that entrance.
• West: no soak in West Yellowstone. Use Bozeman Hot Springs or Norris Hot Springs.
• South, Jackson: Astoria Hot Springs Park. Granite Hot Springs & Camp only if the Forest Service page says the road is open.
• East: Hot Springs State Park, a free bathhouse about 153 miles in a straight line from Mammoth Hot Spring.
• Farther, and one closure: Boulder Hot Springs, Spa Hot Springs Motel, Heise Hot Springs, and Green Canyon Hot Springs and Resort. Elkhorn Hot Springs is closed.
• Sightseeing only: Mammoth, Grand Prismatic, and Azure.

Can you swim in Yellowstone's hot springs?

No. The swimming page prohibits soaking in hot springs, because the water often reaches the boiling point and to protect the thermal features. 36 CFR 7.13 bans swimming or bathing in a natural thermal pool or a stream fed entirely by a thermal spring, and keeps foot travel on boardwalks and marked trails.

Boiling River is not a backup soak. The swimming page and the Boiling River place page both say swimming is not possible there because of the 2022 floods. Check them. That status can change. The Firehole Swim Area on the same page is a river swim, marked closed, not a hot spring.

A private vehicle is $35 for seven days (fees). There is no separate fee to view the springs. The South Entrance road also crosses Grand Teton National Park, which charges its own entrance fee.

Where can you soak from the North Entrance?

[Yellowstone Hot Springs](/montana/gardiner/yellowstone-hot-springs) is the gate soak, at 24 East Gate Road. The operator puts it about eight miles north of the North Entrance and about seven miles from Gardiner on U.S. 89. The road is paved. Swimsuits are required. The hot pool is 103–105°F (hot). The main pool is 98–100°F, across body temperature. The cold plunge is 60–65°F. Day passes are $18 for ages 13 and up, $15 for seniors 62 and up and veterans, and $10 for ages 4–12. Ages 0–3 are free. Hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., closed Mondays. The hours page marked those prices effective October 30, 2024. RV and tent camping run May through October. Skip the hot pool for children under 5. (hours, FAQ)

[Chico Hot Springs Resort & Day Spa](/montana/pray/chico-hot-springs-resort-day-spa) is at 163 Chico Road in Pray, about 16 miles in a straight line from Yellowstone Hot Springs. The resort says that is approximately 30 miles from the North Entrance. The large pool averages 96°F (warm) and the small pool 103°F (hot). NOAA vent: 113°F. Day guests pay $14 for ages 7 and up and $8 for ages 3–6 and seniors 65 and up, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Overnight guests soak from 7 a.m. at no extra charge. The road is paved. (soak page, FAQ)

Where can you soak from the West Entrance?

The directory has no hot spring in West Yellowstone.

[Bozeman Hot Springs](/montana/bozeman/bozeman-hot-springs) is a developed resort at 81123 Gallatin Road, about 42 miles in a straight line from Yellowstone Hot Springs. The road is paved, and camping is on the property. NOAA vent: 131°F, so the source is hot. Confirm the pool temperature and the pass on the operator site.

[Norris Hot Springs](/montana/norris/norris-hot-springs) is at 42 Montana Highway 84, about 54 miles in a straight line from Yellowstone Hot Springs, on a paved road. The artesian flow averages 129°F. The pool is cooled below 100°F in summer and held as warm as 106°F in winter, which is hot. NOAA vent: 127°F. Public hours are Thursday through Monday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday is closed for cleaning. Wednesday is private. Adults are $12, seniors and children 12 and under are $5, and babies in swim diapers are free. Outside alcohol is confiscated. The campground runs Memorial Day through Labor Day, and the pools close only for named storms. (soak page)

Where can you soak from the South Entrance?

[Astoria Hot Springs Park](/wyoming/jackson/astoria-hot-springs-park) is at 25 Johnny Counts Road, 20 minutes south of Jackson past Hoback Junction on Highway 89, across the historic red bridge. The road is paved. Swimsuits are required. Closed Wednesdays. Other days run 9:00 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. in five sessions of 70. A standard adult ticket is $26.25. Four mineral pools are chlorine-free flow-through water at 100–104°F, which is hot. NOAA vent: 99°F, warm, and cooler than those pools. The children's pool (80–90°F) and the cold plunge (48–51°F) are chlorinated tap water. Book a session. (hot springs page)

[Granite Hot Springs & Camp](/wyoming/jackson/granite-hot-springs-camp) is a concrete pool above Granite Creek Falls. The Forest Service puts Jackson at about 34 miles and 49 minutes, with about nine miles of bumpy dirt at the end. Plan on high clearance. No drinking water, no cell service, cash only: $12 for ages 12 and up, $7 for 11 and under. NOAA vent: 106°F. A geology note says the pool itself runs 93°F in summer (warm) to 112°F in winter (hot) (springs note). Summer hours are usually 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., late May through October 31, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. after Labor Day. Winter hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., early December through March 17, by snowmobile, dog sled, skis, or fat bike only. The pool page has also posted a closure for deteriorating access. Read it before you drive (pool page).

Is Thermopolis the East Entrance soak?

It is the public bath east of the park, not a soak at the gate. Hot Springs State Park is about 153 miles in a straight line from Mammoth Hot Springs.

[Hot Springs State Park](/wyoming/thermopolis/hot-springs-state-park) is at 51 U.S. Highway 20. Wyoming State Parks says more than 8,000 gallons flow over the terrace every 24 hours at a constant 135°F, and that the free bathhouse holds the water at 104°F. NOAA vent: 133°F. The park is day-use, with no overnight camping, and the road is paved. The about page posts two clocks: a seasonal block (summer, Monday–Saturday 8 a.m.–7 p.m. and Sunday noon–7 p.m.; winter, Monday–Saturday 8 a.m.–5:30 p.m. and Sunday noon–5:30 p.m.) and a separate line of 8 a.m.–1 p.m. every day. The bathhouse is closed Thanksgiving and Christmas. Read the page the week you go.

Hot Springs Hotel and Spa, at 115 East Park Street, is a separate paid bathhouse. Its NOAA vent is the same 133°F Thermopolis source.

Which soaks are a longer drive?

[Boulder Hot Springs](/montana/boulder/boulder-hot-springs), at 31 Hot Springs Road, is about three miles from the town of Boulder and about 98 miles in a straight line from Yellowstone Hot Springs. NOAA vent: 169°F. Day use is 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. No public camping. Alcohol is not allowed. The road is paved. (inn, FAQ)

[Spa Hot Springs Motel](/montana/white-sulphur-springs/spa-hot-springs-motel) is at 202 West Main Street in White Sulphur Springs, about 99 miles in a straight line from Yellowstone Hot Springs. A 35-foot well comes up at 130°F. One outdoor pool is cooled to about 98°F (warm). A newer outdoor pool stays around 103°F and the indoor plunge around 105°F, both hot. NOAA vent: 136°F. Open daily 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Adults 18 and up pay $16. Motel guests soak at no extra charge. The road is paved. (soak page)

[Heise Hot Springs](/idaho/ririe/heise-hot-springs-inc) is at 5116 East Heise Road in Ririe, about 74 miles in a straight line from Grand Prismatic Spring. The mineral pool is about 104°F (hot) and a freshwater pool about 96°F (warm). NOAA vent: 120°F. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. From September through May they are 2–10 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m.–10 p.m. weekends. An all-day pass, slide not included, is $13 for ages 12 and up, $10 for 11 and under, and $8 for 65 and up, plus tax. The homepage says the pools reopened after the Big Rock Fire and the zipline stays closed for the rest of that season. (hot springs, passes, homepage)

[Green Canyon Hot Springs and Resort](/idaho/newdale/green-canyon-hot-springs-and-resort) is at 2432 Canyon Creek Road in Newdale, about 16 miles in a straight line from Heise Hot Springs and about 59 miles in a straight line from Grand Prismatic Spring. From Idaho Highway 33, turn south at mile marker 116 and go 4 miles. The spring is 115°F (hot), the indoor pool 96–100°F (across body temperature), the hot pool 105°F, and the cold pool 55°F. NOAA vent: 111°F, under the name Pincock (Green Canyon) Hot Springs. Admission is $11.50 for ages 3 and up. Closed Sundays. From Labor Day to Memorial Day the hours are Monday, Tuesday, and Friday 5–9 p.m. and Saturday noon–9 p.m. In summer they are weekdays noon–10 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.–10 p.m. The road is paved, with camping beside the pools. (rates)

[Elkhorn Hot Springs](/montana/polaris/elkhorn-hot-springs) is closed. The operator's site says all operations are suspended because of the Sand Creek Fire, less than a mile from the lodge. Do not plan a soak until that page changes. (elkhornhotsprings.com)

Which Yellowstone road stays open to cars in winter?

The park roads page says the only road generally open year-round to regular vehicles runs from the North Entrance at Gardiner, through the park, to Cooke City, via Tower Junction. Most other park roads close to regular vehicles from early November to late April, with limited commercially guided snowmobile and snowcoach travel from mid-December to mid-March. Check the road-status map. A car can still reach the North Entrance soaks. The other gates are not a drive through the park until those seasonal roads open.

Which park springs are only for sightseeing?

Wyoming's 3 sightseeing listings are Mammoth Hot Spring, Grand Prismatic Spring, and Azure Spring. See them from the boardwalks and marked trails. Pets stay off thermal areas and boardwalks. None of the three is a soak. The Montana hot springs road trip covers the resorts a day beyond these gates.