Pah Tempe Hot Springs (La Verkin Hot Springs)

The short version

Pah Tempe Hot Springs is closed, and has been since 2013. If you want to soak in its water, go to Zion Canyon Hot Springs, a paid resort on the rim above the gorge in La Verkin that has a contract to draw water from these springs. The old resort down by the river is owned by the Washington County Water Conservancy District and is not open to visitors. Do not climb down to it.

What the springs are

The springs rise in the bed and banks of the Virgin River where it cuts through the Hurricane Fault, on the line between the towns of Hurricane and La Verkin. The water district measures the flow at roughly 5,000 gallons a minute, more than 7 million gallons a day, at 107°F42°C. The water is also very salty and high in sulfur. The district says the springs push about 109,000 tons of salt into the river each year, which is a major problem for the water supply downstream, and it is studying ways to treat it.

The site has had many names: Sulphur Springs, La Verkin Sulphur Springs, La Verkin Hot Springs, Dixie Hot Springs and, since the 1950s, Pah Tempe. The Washington County Historical Society translates Pah Tempe as “water from the rock.”

What the old resort was like

For most of the 20th century this was one of southern Utah’s main hot springs resorts. Footbridges crossed the river, a grotto and pools sat along the gorge where the hot water came out, and a cement swimming pool opened in 1918. For generations of southern Utah families it was the place to soak, smell of sulfur and all.

By the time it closed, much of that was in poor shape. A 2023 report noted that handrails and benches had been neglected since public access ended in 2013, and the district’s main concern was visitor safety, including the risk of falling rocks from the gorge walls.

Getting there (and what you can see)

The springs are near the State Route 9 bridge over the Virgin River, between Hurricane and La Verkin, about 20 miles west of the main entrance to Zion National Park.

The old resort grounds are closed. There is nothing to visit, and there is no legal way into the pools. You will see the gorge from SR-9 as you cross the river.

For the resort that uses the water today:

• Zion Canyon Hot Springs is at 202 West 300 South in La Verkin, on higher ground north of the river with views over the canyon. From St. George, take I-15 north to exit 16, follow SR-9 east toward Hurricane and La Verkin, and follow signs into La Verkin. Parking is on site.

Where to soak instead: Zion Canyon Hot Springs

Zion Canyon Hot Springs opened in July 2025 on land leased from the water district. It is run with WorldSprings, the Texas company behind similar resorts, and cost around $60 million to build. The resort can draw up to 2,000 gallons a minute from the La Verkin springs. The water is filtered to remove bacteria and the hydrogen sulfide smell, replaced every two hours, then treated and returned to the Virgin River.

What you get:

• About 50 pools: 32 natural spring pools (named after hikes in Utah’s national parks), 16 pools mixed to imitate famous thermal waters around the world, freshwater pools including a big family pool, three cold plunges and three barrel saunas.
• Temperatures: The operator lists pools from 88 to 104°F31 to 40°C, with the family pool kept around 90 to 92°F32 to 33°C.
• Two areas: A family area open to all ages, and an adults-only area for 21 and over, where the bar serves drinks. Valid ID is required.
• Hours: Daily, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., with later soaking Thursday to Saturday.

Prices (introductory, listed in 2026):

• General Access, family area, up to 3 hours: $46 ages 13 and up and $25 ages 3 to 12 off-peak; $60 and $35 at peak and holiday times.
• All Access, whole property, 21 and over: $57 off-peak, $72 peak.
• All-day upgrade: $30 more. Towels are $5 extra and robes $10.
• Washington County residents get 20 percent off with proof of address.

Book ahead online, especially on weekends and during the spring and fall Zion seasons. The resort sells swimwear and rents cabanas if you arrive unprepared.

When to go

There is no season for Pah Tempe itself, because it is closed. For Zion Canyon Hot Springs, the cooler months from October to April are the most pleasant time to sit in hot water. Summer afternoons in La Verkin regularly pass 100°F38°C, so book an evening slot then.

Rules

• Pah Tempe: Closed. The property belongs to the water district. Entering the gorge site is trespassing, and the rockfall risk is real.
• Zion Canyon Hot Springs: Reservations online, a signed waiver, and ID for the 21-and-over area. Check the resort’s terms before you go.

Where to stay nearby

• La Verkin and Hurricane have motels, rentals and restaurants within a few minutes of Zion Canyon Hot Springs. The resort has offered a 10 percent discount to visitors staying at area hotels.
• Springdale, at the Zion National Park entrance, is the classic base for the park and about half an hour east on SR-9.
• St. George, about 25 minutes southwest, has the widest choice of hotels.
• Quail Creek State Park, between Hurricane and I-15, and Sand Hollow State Park, south of Hurricane, both have developed campgrounds.

Safety notes

• Do not enter the old site. The gorge walls shed rock, the old stairs and rails are not maintained, and the Virgin River can rise fast in a flash flood.
• Heat: Southern Utah summers are dangerous. Drink more water than you think you need before and after soaking.
• Hot water: At any resort, keep soaks short, and step out if you feel lightheaded.

History

Native people used the springs for centuries and considered them a sacred place. Thomas Judd recorded the first ownership claim in the late 1800s, and in 1914 and 1915 the La Verkin Sanitorium and Resort Company bought the springs and about 170 acres and built a resort. Around 1936 Morris Wilson bought out the other shareholders. In 1952 Elias Penn and Louie Harris Smith bought what was then the Dixie Hot Springs Resort and renamed it Pah Tempe Mineral Hot Springs.

Trouble began in the 1980s, when blasting for the Quail Creek water project changed the aquifer and at times dried up the springs. From 1985 to 2012 Ken Anderson ran and expanded the resort, but years of shutdowns, court battles with the water district and the 2008 credit crunch ended with Anderson losing the property in bankruptcy court in 2012. The water district took over around May 2013 and closed it. In 2022 the district agreed to provide land and part of the water for a new resort, which became Zion Canyon Hot Springs.