How we verify listings

Sources

Every listing is researched against at least two independent sources. In order of preference:

1. The operator: the resort, bathhouse, municipality or park that runs the spring.
2. Land and park agencies, such as the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, state parks and national tourism boards.
3. Recent local news, especially for closures, fires, floods and access changes.
4. Established guidebooks and long-running soaking communities, used to cross-check, never as the only source.

The sources we relied on are listed at the bottom of each listing.

What we leave blank

We do not estimate. If no reliable source publishes a water temperature, a price, opening hours or a trail length, that field stays empty on the page. A missing number is more useful than a wrong one when you are deciding whether to drive three hours.

Coordinates

Map pins point at the pools or, for hike-in springs, the trailhead. We take them from official sources or OpenStreetMap and check them against satellite imagery where we can. For wild springs, always follow the written directions rather than the straight line to a pin.

Check dates and updates

Each listing shows the date it was last verified. We re-check listings on a rolling basis, sooner for places with seasonal roads, recent closures or reader reports.

Closures and private land

If a spring is closed, temporarily or for good, we say so at the top of the page and explain why. We do not publish directions to springs on private land without permission, and we flag places where access is disputed.

Writing and independence

Listings are written in our own words from the research. Operators cannot pay to be listed, ranked or reviewed. If we ever add affiliate links for lodging, they are labelled and do not influence what we write.

Corrections

Found something out of date? Send a correction with what you saw and when. We check it against a source and update the listing and its check date.