Montana Hot Springs Guide

Last updated: October 29, 2026

Part of our Yellowstone from Montana guide →

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Most of Montana’s hot springs are run as businesses. You pay a day-pass fee, and you can expect posted hours, changing rooms and, often, lodging on site. Adult day passes at the places in this guide that post a price run from $12 to $34, based on each operator’s own website in October 2026. Sleeping Buffalo, on the Hi-Line, doesn’t post one online. The famous free soak near Yellowstone’s North Entrance, Boiling River, has been closed since the 2022 floods, and soaking in Yellowstone’s thermal water is illegal. The nearest open public-land soak for western Montana is just over the Idaho line.

Prices and hours below come from each operator’s official site. They change, sometimes by season, so check the linked page before you drive.

Hot springs at a glance: where they are

Addresses are from each operator’s site.

Day passes and hours at a glance

Sources: each operator’s page linked in the table above, fetched October 22, 2026.

Near Yellowstone: Paradise Valley and Gardiner

Chico Hot Springs in Pray has two open-air pools. The resort says they average about 96°F in the large pool and 103°F in the small one, with no added chemicals. A day pass is $14 for adults and children 7 and older, and $8 for ages 3–6 and seniors 65+. Day guests can soak 8 a.m.–11 p.m. every day of the year, and towels rent for $2.50. There’s no lifeguard. Chico advises against bringing children under 2, noting that water over 100°F can harm infants (Chico Hot Springs).

The written history is long. The resort quotes an 1865 miner’s diary entry about washing clothes in the springs, and its main lodge opened in 1900 (Chico Hot Springs).

Yellowstone Hot Springs is north of Gardiner, on East Gate Road off Cinnabar Basin Road. It’s open Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m.–9 p.m., and closed Mondays. You don’t need a reservation during normal hours. Admission is $18 for ages 13 and up, $15 for seniors 62+ and veterans, $10 for kids 4–12, and free for ages 0–3. A 12-visit pass is $125 (Yellowstone Hot Springs).

The operator’s page says these prices took effect October 30, 2024.

Chico says it’s about 30 miles from Yellowstone’s North Entrance. Yellowstone Hot Springs’ directions put it about 7 miles from Gardiner via US 89. For park road status and entrances, see our guide to visiting Yellowstone from Montana.

Places to stay: Chico rents lodge rooms, cabins and houses on site. Larger groups can also look for vacation rentals in Paradise Valley or Gardiner.

Pairing a soak with Yellowstone? From Bozeman, one option is the Best of Yellowstone full-day tour.

Bozeman and the Madison Valley

Bozeman Hot Springs is 8 miles west of town on US 191, the route to Big Sky and West Yellowstone. It has 12 pools from 59°F to 106°F, plus dry and wet saunas. The indoor pools are flow-through, drained and cleaned every night, and not chlorinated. The three main outdoor pools are chlorinated (Bozeman Hot Springs).

Prices depend on the day and on whether you show a Montana ID:

Seniors 60+ and military pay $17–$27. Full-facility passes run $35–$50 (Bozeman Hot Springs prices). The hours are unusual: Friday it closes at sundown, and Saturday it opens at sundown and stays open until midnight. The site has a calendar for exact times (Bozeman Hot Springs hours).

Norris Hot Springs is about as simple as a commercial soak gets: a single 40-by-40-foot pool built of fir planks laid over the source. The spring itself averages 129°F. A sprayer system cools the pool to below 100°F in summer, and it can run as warm as 106°F in winter. The pool is drained every night (Norris Hot Springs).

Public hours are Thursday through Monday, 10 a.m.–10 p.m., year-round, with no reservation. Wednesdays are for private soaks, which you book. It’s always closed Tuesday for cleaning (Norris Hot Springs). Admission is $12 for adults and $5 for seniors and children 12 and under. Babies in swim diapers are free (Norris Hot Springs).

Places to stay: Bozeman has the most hotel inventory in the area. Thinking about living nearby? See the cost of living in Bozeman.

Helena, Boulder and Butte–Anaconda

Broadwater Hot Springs on Helena’s west side is a mix of hot springs and gym: natural hot pools, sauna and steam, plus fitness classes. Adult day passes are $17 Monday–Thursday and $22 Friday–Sunday and holidays, and credit cards carry a 3% processing fee. You don’t need a reservation (Broadwater day rates; hours and FAQ). It’s open most holidays; the site lists Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July as closures.

Boulder Hot Springs, between Helena and Butte, is open daily 10 a.m.–8 p.m. for day use:

• Adults pay $12 on weekdays and $14 on weekends and holidays.
• Seniors 60+ pay $10 or $12, and children 3–12 pay $7 or $8.
• Indoor plunges are kept at 103–106°F.
• A women-only side has a hot pool and a cold pool, usually under 70°F. The co-ed side has a hot pool but no cold one.
• Showers are required before you go in.

(Boulder Hot Springs).

Fairmont Hot Springs Resort near Anaconda is the one that catches day-trippers out. Its indoor and outdoor pools are open only to registered overnight guests and pool and golf members. Guests of the Fairmont RV park and chalets can swim for a daily fee (Fairmont Hot Springs Resort). If you want to soak there, book a room.

Central Montana: White Sulphur Springs

Spa Hot Springs is open 365 days a year, 7 a.m.–10 p.m. It has three pools: a new outdoor pool at 103°F, an outdoor pool at 98°F and an indoor pool at 105°F. The operator says all three are drained and cleaned every night, and it adds no chemicals. Public admission is $16 for adults, $14 for seniors 65+ and teens, and $8–$12 for children by age. Motel guests swim free (Spa Hot Springs).

Western Montana: Lolo Pass and the Clark Fork

Lolo Hot Springs is on US 12 on the way up to Lolo Pass. The indoor hot pool runs 103–106°F. The outdoor pool is much cooler, 74–85°F depending on the season. Admission is $16 for adults, $14 for seniors and military, $13 for children 5–12, and free for children under 5 (Lolo Hot Springs).

Some rules to know at Lolo:

• Children under 5 aren’t allowed in the indoor hot pool; the resort cites state regulation.
• Some late-night hours are 18+ and clothing optional.
• Day passes are first come, first served. The resort says it rarely sells out (Lolo Hot Springs FAQ).

Quinn’s Hot Springs in Paradise, on the Clark Fork, has five natural flow-through pools at 100–106°F, a 55°F cold plunge, and two salt-treated pools kept in the upper 90s (Quinn’s pool info). If you’re not staying overnight, you must reserve a swim session online in advance. There are three 4-hour sessions a day, costing $21 Monday–Thursday and $23 Friday–Sunday. Bring your own towel (Quinn’s swim sessions). Lodging guests get pool access included.

Places to stay: Missoula is the hotel base for both. Thinking about living nearby? See the cost of living in Missoula.

Northeast Montana: Sleeping Buffalo on the Hi-Line

Sleeping Buffalo Hot Springs & Resort is at 669 Buffalo Trail near Saco, in Phillips County. Visit Montana’s listing puts it off US 2, 17 miles east of Malta, and calls it the only hot springs along Montana’s northern tier (Visit Montana). The resort’s own site says the same thing another way: the only natural hot springs on the Hi-Line (Sleeping Buffalo).

The water and pools. The resort describes 108°F, chemical-free mineral water from an artesian well, with indoor and outdoor pools, and says it’s open year-round. It lists a 60-by-80-foot indoor main pool, a hot tub, a cold plunge and a sauna (Sleeping Buffalo). Visit Montana’s listing adds that the well is 3,200 feet deep and produces more than 900 gallons a minute, and that all pools are drained and cleaned nightly and refilled daily with hot springs water (Visit Montana).

Hours and prices. The resort’s site posts Sunday–Thursday 9 a.m.–8 p.m. and Friday–Saturday 9 a.m.–9 p.m. It doesn’t list day-pass prices on its home page or its booking page, so call (406) 527-3320 or check sbhotsprings.com for current rates and which pools are open that day.

Places to stay: The resort’s online booking page lists interior suites inside the hot springs building, five cabins with kitchens, and RV and tent sites. The resort says the RV park has 31 full hook-up sites, and that a saloon and a steakhouse, Buffalo Saloon and 54 Prime, are on site. It also says Nelson Reservoir, a 4,100-acre lake it describes as having walleye, pike and perch, is across the road (Sleeping Buffalo; booking page). Malta is the town Visit Montana uses as the reference point; check for lodging there directly if the resort is full.

Ownership note. The resort has been listed for sale since 2025 (MATR, Oct. 3, 2025), and the listing’s own site was still up on October 29, 2026 (sleepingbuffaloforsale.com). A listing isn’t a closure, and the resort’s site still shows hours and online booking. Ownership, hours or services could change, so call before a long drive.

The Sleeping Buffalo Rock

The resort shares its name with a separate and sacred site. The rock is not part of the pools.

The National Register nomination describes Sleeping Buffalo Rock as a gray granite boulder shaped like a reclining buffalo, with incised markings for horns, eyes, backbone and ribs. It calls the rock a traditional cultural property important to the Blackfeet, Assiniboine, Gros Ventre, Cree, Chippewa and other Northern Plains peoples, and says tribal members continue to visit it and leave offerings. The rock was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 17, 1996 (NPS National Register record).

The nomination says the rock originally sat on a ridge overlooking Cree Crossing on the Milk River and was removed from it in 1932. As of the 1996 listing, it stood with the smaller Medicine Rock in a roadside shelter at the junction of Montana 243 and US 2. The nomination says resort management petitioned the state in 1987 to build that shelter, with resolutions of support from the Fort Belknap, Fort Peck and Rocky Boy’s tribal councils, among others. It also says the ongoing defilement of the rock, with litter and broken glass mixed in among the offerings, is very painful for tribal people to witness. If you stop, leave the offerings alone and take your trash with you. The Montana National Register Sign Program’s page on the rock, with photos through 2022, tells the same story (Historic Montana).

Public-land soaks: fewer than you’d think

People often look for a free soak on national forest or park land. In and near Montana, the official picture in October 2026 looks like this:

Jerry Johnson is the practical option from western Montana. The Forest Service puts its trailhead about an hour from Lolo, on the Lochsa River side of Lolo Pass. The page lists just two parking spaces, one of them for stock trailers, and no drinking water (USFS). Pair it with Lolo Hot Springs, which is on the same highway.

You’ll find other undeveloped Montana springs mentioned online. This guide lists only those with a current official page, because access to many of them crosses private land or changes from year to year. If a spring isn’t on an agency page, check with the local ranger district before you go.

Safety: what the agencies and operators say

Never touch or enter natural thermal features in Yellowstone. More than 20 people have died from burns after entering or falling into the park’s hot springs. The ground around them can be a thin crust over superheated water, so stay on boardwalks. Pets aren’t allowed in thermal areas, even when carried. If you start to feel sick in a thermal area, leave, because toxic gases can build up (NPS Safety).

Keep water out of your nose in natural warm water. Naegleria fowleri is an ameba that causes a brain infection, which is rare but almost always fatal, when it goes up the nose. The CDC names hot springs among the warm freshwater places to take precautions (CDC). The Park Service gives the same advice for any thermal water:

• don’t swallow it;
• keep your head above water, or use nose plugs;
• don’t swim if you have diarrhea.

The park adds that thermal waters can carry organisms that cause rashes and stomach illness (NPS Swimming).

Limit your time in hot water. Quinn’s posts a 15-minute limit per session, and warns that staying in too long can cause dizziness, fainting and nausea. It asks anyone who is pregnant or has heart disease, diabetes or high blood pressure, or who takes prescription medication, to consult a physician first (Quinn’s).

Check age rules for young kids. Several operators set them:

This section summarizes agency and operator guidance; it isn’t medical advice.

Planning tips

• Have your Montana ID handy at Bozeman Hot Springs. It cuts the adult price by $6–$7.
• Book Quinn’s ahead. It’s the only one here that requires a reservation for day use.
• Call ahead for Sleeping Buffalo. It doesn’t post day-pass prices online, and the resort is listed for sale.
• Mind the closed days: Norris (Tuesday), Yellowstone Hot Springs (Monday), and Fairmont (no day use at all).
• Flying into Bozeman? Bozeman Hot Springs is 8 miles west of town, and Chico and Yellowstone Hot Springs are near Yellowstone’s North Entrance. Compare rental cars at Bozeman (BZN).
• Cash or card: Bozeman Hot Springs lists cash, Mastercard, Visa and in-state personal checks (Bozeman Hot Springs). Broadwater charges 3% on cards.

Heading north to Glacier too? Use our Glacier National Park trip planner and our guide to where to stay near Glacier.

Sources

1. Chico Hot Springs, “Soak” (hours, admission, pool temperatures): https://www.chicohotsprings.com/soak
2. Yellowstone Hot Springs, “Hours & Prices”: https://yellowstonehotspringsmt.com/hours-prices/
3. Bozeman Hot Springs, home page, “Prices” and “Hours”: https://bozemanhotsprings.co/ ; https://bozemanhotsprings.co/prices/ ; https://bozemanhotsprings.co/hours-location/
4. Norris Hot Springs, home page and “Soak”: https://www.norrishotsprings.com/ ; https://www.norrishotsprings.com/soak
5. Boulder Hot Springs, “Spa & Springs”: https://www.boulderhotsprings.com/services-3
6. Broadwater Hot Springs, “Day Rates” and “Hot Springs Hours”: https://broadwatermt.com/pages/day-rates ; https://broadwatermt.com/pages/hot-springs-hours
7. Fairmont Hot Springs Resort, “Hot Springs Pool Information”: https://fairmontmontana.com/hot-springs-pool-information/
8. Spa Hot Springs Motel, “Soak”: https://www.spahotsprings.com/soak
9. Lolo Hot Springs Resort, “Soak” and FAQ: https://www.lolohotsprings.com/soak ; https://www.lolohotsprings.com/
10. Quinn’s Hot Springs Resort, “Pool Info” and “Swim Session”: https://www.quinnshotsprings.com/pool-info ; https://www.quinnshotsprings.com/swim-session
11. National Park Service, “Boiling River”: https://www.nps.gov/places/000/boiling-river.htm
12. National Park Service, Yellowstone “Safety”: https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/safety.htm
13. National Park Service, Yellowstone “Swimming”: https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/swimming.htm
14. USDA Forest Service, Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests, “Warm Springs Trailhead”: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r01/nezperce-clearwater/recreation/warm-springs-trailhead
15. KXLH, “Renova Hot Springs near Whitehall off-limits, Sheriff’s Office says”: https://www.kxlh.com/news/local-news/renova-hot-springs-near-whitehall-off-limits-sheriffs-office-says
16. CDC, “How to Prevent Naegleria fowleri Infection” (July 16, 2025): https://www.cdc.gov/naegleria/prevention/index.html
17. Sleeping Buffalo Hot Springs & Resort, home page and online booking page: https://www.sbhotsprings.com/ ; https://resnexus.com/resnexus/reservations/book/218F8A20-09E7-49C0-AA76-94DB64F3DFD0
18. Visit Montana, “Sleeping Buffalo Hot Springs”: https://www.visitmt.com/listing/sleeping-buffalo-hot-springs
19. MATR, “Hot springs resort on Montana’s Hi-Line hits market for $10.7M” (Oct. 3, 2025): https://matr.net/news/hot-springs-resort-on-montanas-hi-line-hits-market-for-10-7m/ ; sale listing site: https://sleepingbuffaloforsale.com/
20. National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places registration form and listing record, “Sleeping Buffalo Rock” (ref. 96000548, listed May 17, 1996): https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/96000548_text
21. Historic Montana (Montana National Register Sign Program), “Sleeping Buffalo Rock”: https://historicmt.org/items/show/15

Cole Bennett edits MontanaHelp, a research-driven guide to moving to and living in Montana. Articles cite official and public sources and are updated as rules and data change. AI tools help research and draft them; a person runs the editorial process and spot-checks one article from each batch before it’s published.

AI tools helped research and draft this article. A person runs MontanaHelp’s editorial process and spot-checks one article from each batch before it’s published.