Lower Warm Springs (Saline Valley Warm Springs)

Current status: closed after the 2026 fire

Lower Warm Springs is closed. On the evening of September 15, 2026, a fire started in the Lower Springs part of Saline Valley Warm Springs Campground. Investigators later traced it to a propane grill that set a palm tree alight, and the dead fronds hanging from about 80 nonnative fan palms carried the flames. Campers and the volunteer host got out safely.

The fire destroyed the host site, a shed that may have held hazardous materials and a large battery bank. It melted the piping that feeds and drains the lower pools. Early checks suggested the tubs themselves had mostly survived, but the area around them is a burn scar with hot spots and debris.

From September 16 the superintendent closed the whole Lower Springs area to entry. That covers Crystal Pool and the other soaking tubs, the old lawn, the host site and the ground around them. On October 5 the park reopened more than half the campground: Palm Spring, the camping area between Lower Spring and Palm Spring, and the double-vault toilet at Lower Spring. A federal post-fire team was due to assess the damage in mid-October, with cleanup expected in early winter. The park has asked visitors not to enter the closed area or try to rebuild or repair anything themselves.

If you are planning a trip, check the Death Valley conditions page first. Until the order is lifted, Palm Spring is the place to soak.

What to expect

Saline Valley Warm Springs is a group of three springs at the northeast edge of Saline Valley, a deep, empty basin in the northwest corner of Death Valley National Park. Lower Spring is the biggest and most developed, and in normal times it is the social center of the camp. Palm Spring sits a short way uphill, and Upper Warm Spring, a small undeveloped pool, is about two miles farther on.

Volunteers have built and tended the soaking tubs here since the 1950s and 1960s, using rock and concrete. Wikipedia describes the lower springs as a set of soaking pools with water around 110°F43°C, though the temperature in any given tub depends on flow and weather. The best-known tub at Lower Spring is Crystal Pool. There used to be showers, a patch of lawn and a communal fire ring, all under tall palms. How much of that comes back after the fire is not yet known.

The park plan for the springs, finalized in 2019, lets the recreational use continue while protecting the springs and their cultural value to the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe, whose ties to the area go back long before the tubs. The park is letting mature palms live out their lives but is not allowing new ones to establish. After the fire it said it would remove only palms that are confirmed dead, and many burned palms already had green fronds.

Getting there

There is no easy way in. The campground is roughly 35 to 40 miles from the nearest paved road, depending on the route, at an elevation of about 1,400 feet. The park says you need a high-clearance vehicle with all-terrain tires, and 4WD may be needed depending on conditions. RVs and trailers are not allowed.

• From Big Pine (North Pass): Take CA-168 east for about 3 miles, then turn right onto Death Valley Road. After about 14 miles, turn right onto Saline Valley Road, which climbs over North Pass at 7,300 feet and drops through Marble Canyon into the valley. Watch for the side road to the springs on the valley floor. Count on about 60 miles and 3 hours from Big Pine. This has been the main route in since flood damage in 2023, and in September 2026 Inyo County was grading it so crews could haul out fire debris.
• From CA-190 (South Pass): Saline Valley Road also runs north from CA-190 over South Pass at 5,997 feet. Park and county updates in 2023 and 2024 listed this section as closed by storm damage. Do not try it without checking current status.
• Lippincott Road and Steel Pass Road are 4WD only. Lippincott is steep and narrow. Steel Pass is rougher still and was partly closed after the 2023 floods.

Fill up with fuel in Big Pine, carry a full-size spare and plenty of water, and do not count on passing another vehicle.

When to go

October to April is the usual season. Summer days on the valley floor are brutally hot and the drive in becomes dangerous if something breaks. Winter storms can close North Pass and South Pass with snow, so the cool months need a weather check too. Holiday weekends are the busiest times. For now, any trip should wait until the park lifts the Lower Springs closure or should be planned around Palm Spring.

Rules and etiquette

• Fees: There is no camping fee. You need a Death Valley entrance pass: $30 per private vehicle for 7 days, $55 for a park annual pass, or an America the Beautiful pass. The park does not take cash.
• Stay limit: Camping is limited to 30 days per park year, which runs July 1 to June 30. Sites are first come, first served and cannot be left empty for more than 24 hours.
• Source pools: The source pools at Palm Spring and Lower Spring are closed to bathing. Soak in the built tubs.
• Health rules: Federal rules bar anyone with an infectious illness, a cough, a cold, open sores or bandages from the pools. Children under four or not toilet-trained must wear waterproof swim diapers.
• Pets: Not within 50 feet of the pools or springs, and no more than four per site.
• Fires: Use grates or fire pans only, bring your own firewood, and keep glass out of fire pits.
• Clothing: Optional, and nudity is common. Ask before taking photos of people.
• Camp spacing: Camp at least 100 feet from any spring.

Where to stay nearby

The only lodging in Saline Valley is your tent or vehicle. Once Lower Springs reopens, you can camp around it again. Until then, use the open sites near Palm Spring or between the two springs. Big Pine, at the start of the North Pass route, has small motels and the last fuel. Bishop, about 15 miles north of Big Pine, has a wider choice of hotels, food and repair shops.

Safety notes

• Remoteness: There is no cell signal, no fuel and no reliable help. Tell someone your route and return date, and carry a satellite messenger.
• Roads: Washouts, rocks and soft sand are normal. Tire damage is the most common problem. Air down, drive slowly and carry two spares if you can.
• Heat: Summer temperatures in the valley are dangerous. Carry far more water than you think you need.
• Water temperature: Test tubs by hand first and keep soaks short. Do not put your head under. Warm natural water can carry organisms such as Naegleria fowleri.
• Wildlife: Burros and coyotes roam the area and will take food. Seal food in your vehicle or a hard-sided container.
• Burn area: Stay out of the closed zone. The park reported lingering hot spots, burned batteries and other hazardous materials.