Sophia Springs Lodging and RV Park

What this place is

Sophia Springs is not a hot spring you can drive up to and pay for. It is a small lodging business in the village of Hot Springs, Montana, that pipes the town’s mineral water into tubs for the people who stay there. If you searched for it expecting a public pool, the short answer is that you need a booking to get in the water.

The property calls itself Sophia Springs Lodging and RV Park. Its office is at 114 Third Avenue North, about three blocks from Main Street, and the Glacier Country tourism listing gives 210 Third Avenue North. The current owners, Mary and John Patterson, describe themselves on the website as new owners. The property’s Facebook and Instagram accounts use the name “stillwatersmineralsprings,” which may be an older name, but we could not confirm that. The town’s own list of soaking places does not mention Sophia Springs at all, because it is not open to the public.

What to expect

There are three ways to stay:

• Suites: artist-designed one-bedroom units with a full kitchen, a living room with a sofa sleeper, a queen bedroom and a large bathroom. They are set up for two and sleep up to four.
• Guest house: two bedrooms, sleeps up to eight, with its own outdoor hot spring soaking tub on the deck. This is the one to book for a group or a family that wants a private soak.
• RV park: sites with 30 and 50 amp hookups, a short walk from the plunge.

Suite and RV guests share an outdoor mineral plunge. Airbnb listings for the suites describe it as open-air, with hot water flowing through it continuously, and say guests can use it around the clock. The tubs run without jets or added chemicals, relying on the constant flow of spring water to keep them clean. That is the same idea as the old flow-through pools at the Symes, just at a much smaller scale.

Do not expect a spa. There is no restaurant on site, though the Glacier Country listing notes one within two blocks, and there are no pools to swim in. This is a quiet place to sleep with a hot tub of mineral water outside your door.

Prices and booking

Sophia Springs does not publish nightly rates on its main page. Prices come up when you choose dates in the online booking system linked from sophiasprings.com, and some suites are also listed on Airbnb, where the host has a long record and strong reviews for cleanliness and check-in. You can also call 406-741-2326 or text 406-515-9699. The tourism listing says walk-ins are welcome if there is space, and that the property takes cash, Visa, Mastercard and Discover.

We found no day pass. If you want a soak without staying overnight, use one of the public options in town (see below).

Getting there

Hot Springs is a small town in Sanders County on the Flathead Indian Reservation, roughly midway between Missoula and Kalispell, a few miles west of Montana Highway 28 on Montana 77.

• From Missoula: US-93 north to Ravalli, MT-200 west, then Highway 382 north near Perma to MT-28. Follow MT-28 to the MT-77 junction and turn west into town.
• From Kalispell: US-93 south to Elmo, then MT-28 west and south to the MT-77 junction.

Once in town, Third Avenue North is about three blocks from Main Street. Check-in details come with your booking. The website says the town is about 30 minutes from Flathead Lake, under two hours from Glacier National Park and about three hours east of Spokane.

When to go

The property is open all year. Winter is when an outdoor tub of hot water makes the most sense, and Hot Springs is quiet then. Summer brings more road-trippers heading to Glacier and Flathead Lake, and the RV park fills more often, so book ahead for July and August weekends.

House rules and etiquette

The website does not post a full set of rules, so ask when you book. Some sensible points for a shared plunge in a small town:

• Wear a swimsuit in the shared plunge. It is visible to other guests.
• Keep noise down at night. The plunge is open 24 hours, but the neighbors are close.
• No soap, no glass. In a small flow-through tub, both cause problems for the next person.
• Pets: the website does not say. Ask before you bring a dog.

Where else to soak in town

Hot Springs has several soaks within a few minutes’ walk, so you can combine a stay here with day visits elsewhere:

• Symes Hot Springs Hotel and Mineral Baths on Wall Street has outdoor pools from about 101 to 107°F38 to 42°C and a warm swimming pool, with day passes for $15 per adult on its 2024 price list.
• Big Medicine Hot Springs on North Road is an outdoor public pool with a small daily fee.
• Alameda’s Hot Springs Retreat is another restored 1930s spa-motel with mineral baths in each suite.

The old tribal bathhouse, Camas Hot Springs, closed in the 1980s and is not open, but the building is worth a look on a walk around town.

Safety notes

• Water temperature: No figure is published and flow-through tubs vary. Test with a hand before you get in, and keep soaks short, especially late at night or after drinking.
• Night soaking: Bring a headlamp or use the outdoor lights. Decks and steps get icy in winter.
• Children: Watch kids closely in any hot tub. Young children overheat faster than adults.