What kind of hot springs these are
Set expectations first. The hot springs near Las Vegas are not developed resorts with towels and a bar. The two closest, Gold Strike and Arizona Hot Springs, are natural pools at the bottom of steep canyons on the Colorado River below Hoover Dam, reached only on foot by strenuous trails through Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The next tier, around Tecopa, California, are rustic drive-up soaking pools and small motels two hours away. All are memorable; none is a spa.
If what you want is warm water without effort, the resort thermal circuits in our best resort spas guide are the answer. This page is for people who want a genuine desert wellness day and are prepared to hike for it.
Gold Strike Hot Springs
Gold Strike Canyon trailhead sits just off US 93 near the Hoover Dam bypass bridge, about 45 minutes from the Strip. The trail drops down a boulder-filled wash for roughly 3 miles each way to the river, passing a series of hot pools on the way, with the largest and warmest near the bottom. It involves scrambling over rock falls with fixed ropes in places, and the return is a sustained climb. Allow five to seven hours for the round trip and a full day if you want to soak.
Water temperatures in the pools range from warm to genuinely hot, and the setting, a narrow canyon of red and black rock, is spectacular. It is not suitable for small children, anyone unsteady on rock or anyone in a hurry.
Arizona Hot Springs
Arizona Hot Springs, sometimes called Ringbolt, starts from a trailhead on the Arizona side of US 93 a few miles past the bridge. The most common route is a loop of roughly 6 miles down White Rock Canyon to the river and back up through the hot spring canyon, where the pools sit in a slot canyon and are connected by a 20-foot ladder bolted to the rock. The pools are warm to hot and there is a riverside beach at the bottom where kayakers pull in.
The ladder and the slot make this feel like an adventure, and it is slightly less technical than Gold Strike but still a real hike with a long climb out. Kayak tours from Willow Beach reach the same springs from the water, and that is the tie-in for anyone who prefers a guided day; see our Hoover Dam guide for the wider area.
Seasonal closures and safety: read this part
Both canyon trails are closed by the National Park Service every year through the hottest months, typically from around mid-May to the end of September, because of a history of heat deaths. Do not attempt them in that window; rangers enforce it and the closure exists for good reason. Even in the open season, start at dawn, carry at least three to four liters of water per person, food, a headlamp, grippy shoes and a map downloaded offline, because there is no signal in the canyons.
Check current trail status on the Lake Mead National Recreation Area site before you go; flash flooding, rockfalls and water-quality advisories close trails at other times. A park entrance fee applies. Soaking rules: keep your head above water, as the springs can harbor an amoeba that causes a rare but serious infection, and never drink the water.
Tecopa: the drive-up option
Tecopa is a scattering of hot-spring motels, campgrounds and bathhouses in the Mojave Desert of California, about two hours southwest of the Strip via Pahrump on the way to Death Valley. Several small properties offer private or communal soaking tubs fed by naturally hot mineral water, some as day-use for a modest fee and some for overnight guests only, and a county-run public bathhouse has operated in the area for decades. Facilities are basic, the pace is slow and the night sky is exceptional.
It is the closest thing to a traditional hot-springs retreat within reach of Las Vegas and works well as an overnight paired with Death Valley, which is covered in our day trips hub. Check each property's day-use policy and hours; they vary and some close in summer.
Doing it as a day: logistics
- Transport: you need a car for all of these. The canyon trailheads have small parking areas that fill early on cool weekends. See our car rental guide.
- Best months: October to April for the canyons, with November to March the most comfortable; spring and fall for Tecopa.
- Time: a full day for either canyon hike; Tecopa is a long day or better as an overnight.
- Bring: water, salty snacks, swimsuit, towel, sun protection, water shoes, a dry bag and a change of clothes for the drive back.
- Afterward: Boulder City has good casual restaurants on the way home, and a Strip spa soak the next morning is the ideal recovery.
Guided tours and the kayak route
If the idea of route-finding down a boulder wash is unappealing, guided options exist. Kayak and raft tours launch below Hoover Dam and from Willow Beach, some stopping at Arizona Hot Springs and the emerald cave along the Black Canyon water trail, and a few hiking guides run Gold Strike trips in the cool months. They handle permits, shuttles and safety and are the sensible choice for a first visit or a mixed-ability group. Tour listings appear on this page where available.
For the classic Hoover Dam visit without the hike, our Hoover Dam guide covers the tours, and best day trips puts it in context with the other options.
Other wellness day trips
Not every restorative day needs a hot spring. Mount Charleston, 45 minutes northwest, is 20 to 30 degrees cooler than the Strip with pine forest trails and a lodge, and it is the best summer escape when the canyons are closed. Red Rock Canyon has a scenic drive, easy trails and a visitor center and is the closest natural landscape to the Strip; see our Red Rock guide. Valley of Fire, an hour northeast, rewards an early-morning walk among red sandstone before the heat builds.
Any of these paired with a spa pass on return makes a complete wellness day: movement and landscape in the morning, water and rest in the afternoon.
