When we visited San Francisco Hot Springs, we were on a bit of a hot spring tear, so we chose this place rather indiscriminately. The "pool" itself is located about 2 kilometers from a free BLM camping area. The trail is a simple foot path, with some steep places. Braden and I walked down the trail with our new found Hot Spring friend, Greg, in search of a pool in the side of a river. When we found it there were two older hippies just getting ready to leave. After having visited so many beautiful hot springs, I must admit that I had become a bit of a hot spring snob and so, I was utterly disappointed with our find. Here at San Francisco hot springs, hot water simply oozes out the side of the muddy river banks.

Our new friend, Greg! We spent over a week with this wonderful human, searching out hot tubs, jamming around campfires and honouring Nacho Friday, a proud Taylor tradition. We’re so fortunate to meet such amazing people on the road!

Greg had been here years before and said that he recalled there being another, beautifully clear pool with some high cliffs and tall grass surrounding it. After a bit of a search, we found his old swimming hole, but over the years the spring in this area must have cooled. The water was cold and stagnant when we found the place, but we could tell this must have once been a great spot to soak. We returned to our little hot tub next to the river for an afternoon of soaking.

If luck is on your side there will already be a pool dug into the banks of a river, framed with rocks, to collect the hot water before the heat is overwhelmed by the rushing river. Most likely, the pool will have be washed away and you'll have to be the one to build a new one. For some folks, this is right up their alley. While I can appreciate the rewarding feeling building your own wild hot spring evokes, I'd rather there already be hot water waiting for me, but to each their own. The pool was at best a foot deep, and it was hot, but the bottom was silty and mucky and not overly agreeable (especially after some of the PRIMO tubs we'd soaked in up until this point).

Sometimes a hot spring is what you make of it. For instance, here at San Francisco, even if we did get mud all over ourselves, we had an endless supply of refreshing clean water to rinse away all our worries.

The surrounding area is covered in tall grass, and the river itself is nice and clear with a rocky bottom and water cold enough for a plunge when the temperature gets too high. Despite my disappointment, we had a pleasant and peaceful afternoon soaking in nature’s version of a mud bath. Who needs a spa anyway?

Cleanliness - 1
Amenities - 1
Exclusivity - 4
Scenery - 3
Community - 3 (though you'll likely be in the tub with only one or two other people, the sense of community at the campsite is what you make of it. When we were there we shared food, stories, and campfire music with the other campers well into the evening!)
Camping - 4