Saline Valley Warm Springs

Volunteer maintained beautiful hot spring. Rough road with 4x4 high clearance car required to get there. Clothing highly discouraged.

Let's start with what this is not: It's not easy to reach! All roads leading to this gem present difficulties and long slow miles on rough roads with little to no signage. Do not start this journey without research and preparation. It's not family friendly, nude bathing is allowed and is prevalent. There are clean and well stocked vault toilets, but no drinking water. Now what it is: An absolute GEM in a desolate and starkly beautiful landscape. Plenty of free camping and lots of wildlife to watch (we saw burros, coyotes and rabbits in abundance). The pools are phenomenal and all different. There are 3 spring areas spread over a couple miles. If you have a 4x4 vehicle and are willing to take the time to find the route, this is an absolute must visit!

Bottom Line Unless you enjoy grueling drives, questionable company, and hot water of dubious cleanliness, stay away from Saline Valley Hot Springs. There are better, cleaner, and more accessible hot springs in California that don’t require risking your vehicle—or your sanity—to visit. Getting There is a Nightmare – You’ll have to endure 50+ miles of rough, washboard, and sometimes impassable dirt roads just to get there. If you don’t have a high-clearance 4WD vehicle, you’re risking serious damage—or worse, getting stranded in the middle of nowhere. No cell service, no easy rescues. Sketchy Crowd – The springs have a reputation for attracting an odd mix of people, and not in a good way. Expect some long-term squatters, sketchy characters, and a weird, off-grid commune vibe. If you’re looking for peace and solitude, you won’t find it here. Hygiene Issues – You don’t know who (or what) has been soaking in them before you. If you’re not keen on questionable water quality, you might want to skip this. I saw 5 floaters Extreme Conditions – In summer, the heat is unbearable. In winter, it can get shockingly cold. There’s zero shade, and if the wind kicks up, you’ll be blasted with dust all day long. Park Service Crackdowns – Since it’s part of Death Valley National Park, rangers do patrol the area, and they’ve been known to issue citations for various infractions. So if you think you’re escaping rules and regulations, think again. No Amenities, No Emergency Help – There’s no gas, no water, no food, and no medical services nearby. If something goes wrong, you’re hours away from any kind of help. You’ll need to be completely self-sufficient just to survive the trip.

Lovely. Wonderful. Clean. Drive in for any vehicle is possible as long as the driver is alert and aware. If you are a lazy driver who enjoys cruise control stay away. A 4X4 with good shocks and excellent tires is better off but any vehicle can arrive here safely with good driving skills. The worst part of our visit was govt jets buzzing the area FIVE times Nov 7 2022. They flew 200-300 feet from the ground. The noise broke my ear drum and the pain inside my inner ear is great. The first pass we hit the dirt. The flying was illegal and uncalled for. We have attended a handful of events at Offut Airforce base and the demonstrations of Blue Angels NEVER flew this low. These pilots were clearly breaking rules and show boating. I am a Navy veteran my husband a Army veteran and this fly by was totally illegal. Then for them to do this terrifying stunt FIVE freaking times was beyond uncalled for. It ruined our trip. With our senior dogs terrified, myself terrified and shaking for a couple hours I hope these pilots see this and know that they injured myself and our dogs. There were 30 to 50 campers in this valley that these two jet aircrafts blasted at extreme close range. The pain in our ear drums was real. I hope our ear drums are not permanently damaged. Shame on the pilots that performed this stunt. We filed complaints. Attaching screen shots from the fourth fly by.

I've had a good time here in the past, but it's gone significantly downhill since then. The area has gotten swampy, there are tons of flies, and the whole place smells vaguely rotten. It was once a kind of nice spot (not tremendous but at least interesting), and it's sad to see that it's deteriorated so much. It's really not worth heading out there anymore, especially because it's very hard to get to (long distance, terrible roads, and a high chance of getting stuck). There are far better things to see in Death Valley and along Highway 395.