Yellowstone Hot Springs

What to expect

Yellowstone Hot Springs is a modern soaking complex on US-89 at Corwin Springs, a small settlement on the Yellowstone River about 8 miles north of the park’s North Entrance at Gardiner. The site is the old Corwin Hot Springs, and the current pools are a rebuild of that plunge rather than a new discovery. Being this close to the park, it fills on summer evenings with people coming out of Yellowstone: cars with park passes on the dash, wet hair, kids in floaties.

This is a developed facility, not a natural pool. Concrete pools sit in an open courtyard with the dry hills of the upper Paradise Valley around them and the river about 100 feet away. There is no forest walk, no rock ledge and no mud. What you get is clean, reliable hot water, changing rooms, showers and a café in the same parking lot.

The water arrives through a pipeline from LaDuke Hot Springs, a spring about a mile and a half away along the river. Hot spring water is used to warm fresh well water, and the operator says the pools are flow-through, with new mineral water running in all the time. Iron in the water leaves a red tint on the pool walls. That staining is normal and not a sign of a dirty pool.

The pools

The operator lists three pools on its home page:

• Main pool: the large, shallow soaking pool, usually 98-100°F37-38°C. It is warm rather than hot, so you can stay in for a long time. A 2019 article put its volume at about 70,000 gallons, with the water turning over every seven hours.
• Hot pool: a smaller raised pool at 103-105°F39-41°C. Kids under 5 should stay out of it.
• Cold plunge: 60-65°F16-18°C, also raised, for alternating hot and cold.

Some chamber of commerce listings also mention two small Kneipp pools for walking through. Temperatures vary a little with the season and the weather, so treat the numbers above as a guide. There are no lifeguards. The pools are too shallow for diving or jumping, and pool toys are not allowed, although arm and waist floats for children are fine.

History

Julius LaDuke, a French-Canadian miner, found the spring that now feeds the pools in 1899 and built tubs on the riverbank for the nearby mining camps of Aldridge and Electric. Around 1909 Dr. Frank Corwin of Livingston opened the Corwin Springs Hotel here, an 86-room inn and spa, and ran a wooden pipeline from LaDuke’s spring to his pool. Tourists came by the Northern Pacific Railway and crossed a bridge over the Yellowstone to reach it. A fire destroyed the hotel in 1916.

The land later became a dude ranch, opening in that form in 1960, and in the 1980s the Church Universal and Triumphant bought it along with its mineral rights. After about a year of construction, the church reopened the soaking business as Yellowstone Hot Springs on March 8, 2019. A couple of brick fireplaces from the ranch era still stand on the grounds.

Getting there

Yellowstone Hot Springs is at 24 East Gate Road, right off US-89 at Corwin Springs.

• From Gardiner and the North Entrance: Head north on US-89 for about 8 miles. The turn is at Corwin Springs, just off the highway near the river.
• From Bozeman or Livingston: Take I-90 to Livingston, then follow US-89 south the length of Paradise Valley, past Emigrant and through Yankee Jim Canyon, to Corwin Springs.

The highway is paved the whole way, and there is a parking lot at the pools that is shared with the East Gate Café. Watch for bighorn sheep, elk and deer on US-89 around Gardiner, especially at dawn and dusk.

When to go

The pools are open year-round, Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and closed on Mondays. The operator says hours are subject to change, and at least one winter listing has shown Wednesday to Sunday hours, so check the website before a long drive in the off season.

Summer brings the park crowds. Late morning and the hour or two after dinner, when people are coming back from the park, are the busiest times. Winter is the better season for many visitors. The northern range of Yellowstone is the one part of the park you can still drive into, the valley is quiet, and soaking at 104°F40°C with snow on the ground is the whole point of a place like this. Spring and fall are a good middle ground, with fewer people and wildlife moving through the valley.

Prices and booking

Rates on the operator’s site were last updated on October 30, 2024:

• Adults 13 and up: $18
• Seniors 62 and up, and veterans: $15
• Kids 4 to 12, and Yellowstone National Park employees: $10
• Kids 3 and under: free
• 12-visit pass: $125
• Towel rental: $4
• Groups of 12 to 20: $15 per person; larger groups should contact management

Every pass is good for the whole day. You can leave and come back as often as you like, which makes it easy to soak in the morning, drive to Mammoth, and return at night. Campers staying on site get $5 off soaking. Reservations are not needed during normal hours, and you can buy a pass ahead on the operator’s online booking page.

Rules and etiquette

The site is alcohol-free, tobacco-free and vape-free. Glass containers are banned in the pool areas and changing rooms, and pets are not allowed on the property, though they can wait in your car. Swimsuits are required. Thongs and other very revealing suits are not strictly banned, but the operator asks guests to dress with families in mind. There are restrooms, showers, baby changing stations and swimsuit dryers. Bring sandals for the walk between the pools. The facility describes itself as ADA compliant.

Where to stay nearby

• On site: The same operator rents cabins, suites and houses, and runs an RV and tent campground by the river with full hookup and electric-only sites, a shower house and laundry. Book through its lodging page.
• Gardiner: About 8 miles south, with motels, restaurants, fuel and the North Entrance arch.
• Eagle Creek Campground: A small Custer Gallatin National Forest campground on Jardine Road just above Gardiner.
• Chico Hot Springs: If you want a historic lodge with its own pools, Chico Hot Springs near Pray is roughly 20 miles north as the crow flies, a bit more by road.

Safety notes

• Heat: The hot pool runs 103-105°F39-41°C. Keep soaks short, drink water and get out if you feel lightheaded. Children under 5 should not use the hot pool, and the operator advises checking with a doctor first if you have health concerns about hot water.
• No lifeguards: Watch children closely. The pools are shallow, so no diving.
• Wildlife and roads: Elk and bison wander through Gardiner, and the highway is dark at night. Drive slowly after an evening soak.
• Cold plunge: Ease in. The jump from 104°F40°C to the low 60s is a real shock to the system.

Nearby stops worth adding

Inside Yellowstone, the Boiling River is about 10 miles south, just over the Wyoming line. It has been closed to swimming since the 2022 flood, and soaking in natural hot springs is banned throughout the park, so this pool and Chico are the legal hot soaks for people based at the North Entrance. Mammoth Hot Springs and its travertine terraces are about 5 miles inside the park from Gardiner and are worth the short drive for a look, not a soak.