Saline Valley Hot Springs
Inyo County (Death Valley National Monument) · near Big Pine (north access, 50+ miles on dirt) · Death Valley Junction (south) · Eastern Sierra
Swimming & Hot Springs
At a glance
- Temperature
- 90–104°F across multiple pools
- Cost
- FREE · Death Valley National Monument entry fee ($35/vehicle) or America the Beautiful Pass
- Season
- Year-round · Summer temperatures at 1,000 ft elevation can exceed 110°F on the surface — October–April strongly recommended
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- No
- Safety
- Extreme remoteness — a breakdown or medical emergency means hours until help arrives. Carry extra fuel, water (1 gallon/person/day minimum), food, and a satellite communicator. Flash floods can make roads impassable with zero warning. Tell someone your plans and expected return date.
Swimming & Hot Springs detail
- Nickname
- The Most Remote Soak in California
- Type
- hot-spring
- Temp
- warm
- Clothing optional
- Yes
- Directions
- Two access routes: North Pass Road (50+ miles of dirt from Big Pine) or South Pass Road (from Hwy 190). Both require 50+ miles of unpaved desert driving. 4WD strongly recommended. Full fuel tank essential (no services anywhere near). Download GPS maps before leaving cell range. Saline Valley is one of the most remote places accessible by vehicle in the contiguous US.
- Pools
- Three main pools: Lower Warm Spring (large, comfortable), Palm Spring (shaded by palms, cooler), Upper Warm Spring (hottest, most dramatic setting) · Natural geothermal water · Developed by a long-running volunteer community · Primitive camping on-site
- Intl tip
- The access drive through the Inyo Mountains via North Pass Road descends from 8,000 feet to the valley floor in a series of switchbacks that offers one of the most dramatic desert views in California. Time your arrival for late afternoon to see the light on the Sierra Nevada across the valley. The solitude at Saline Valley is the rarest thing California offers — something genuinely difficult to find this close to civilization.
The guide
Saline Valley Hot Springs sits in one of the least-visited corners of Death Valley National Monument — a flat, remote valley fl…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Saline Valley Hot Springs — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 36.76, -117.82