Lake Tahoe Hot Springs

There's no public hot spring on Lake Tahoe itself. The lake's only hot spring is at Brockway, on the line between Kings Beach and Crystal Bay, and its water has been piped into the pool at Brockway Springs, a gated condominium resort, since the old hotel was torn down in the 1970s. What you can do is drive to one. There are five developed soaks and two free natural springs within reach of the North Shore, and the closest are 45 minutes to an hour from our homes in Incline Village, Kings Beach and Tahoe City.

This guide lists each one with what it is, what it costs, what the rules are, and how far it is from the North Shore. We checked every fee and closure against the operator's own website or the agency that manages the land on September 30, 2026. Prices and hours change, so check the linked source before you drive.

Hot springs near Lake Tahoe at a glance

Drive times are rough summer figures without traffic or snow, from Incline Village unless noted. From Tahoe City, add about 20–30 minutes to anything on the Nevada side.

Is there a hot spring on Lake Tahoe?

Only one, and you can't use it. Hot water surfaces right at the shoreline at Brockway, just west of the Nevada state line at the east end of Kings Beach. People have been bathing there since at least 1869, when a hotel and bathhouse went up over the spring, and it later became the Brockway Hot Springs resort. The hotel was torn down in the early 1970s to build the Brockway Springs condominiums, and the spring now heats the resort's private pool. The complex is gated, and its pool is for owners and overnight guests.

You may read online about small rock pools on the beach below Brockway when the lake is low. Whether that seep is reachable depends on the lake level, the shoreline next to it is private, and it isn't a managed site. We don't send guests there.

So when people search for "Lake Tahoe hot springs," what they really want is the nearest place to soak. The answer depends on which side of the lake you're staying on.

The closest hot springs to North Lake Tahoe

Steamboat Hot Springs, Reno

Steamboat Hot Springs sits on the south end of Reno at 16010 S. Virginia St., near where the Mount Rose Highway meets US-395. From Incline Village it's about 25 miles over Mount Rose, roughly 45 minutes, which makes it the quickest soak from the Nevada side of the lake. It's a small historic healing center on one of Nevada's best-known geothermal fields, not a pool complex. You book a private tub filled with mineral water for a set time, and massage and other treatments are available.

• Prices (from the operator's site, Sep 2026): private mineral baths from $30 for 30 minutes to $60 for two hours for one person, and $50 to $95 for two. An outdoor mineral bath with cold plunge runs from $25 per person for 30 minutes.
• Hours: Sunday–Wednesday 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Thursday–Saturday 10 a.m.–9 p.m.
• Rules: they don't serve children under 12. Mineral baths must be cancelled at least two hours ahead.

Good for couples and for a winter evening after a day at Mt. Rose or Diamond Peak. Not for families with young kids.

Carson Hot Springs, Carson City

Carson Hot Springs Resort is at 1500 Old Hot Springs Road on the north side of Carson City, about 30 miles and 50 minutes from Incline Village by way of Spooner Summit or Washoe Valley. It's the most casual of the developed soaks: outdoor mineral pools, private indoor pools, saunas, and a restaurant and brewery on site.

• Prices (from the resort's pool page, Sep 2026): outdoor pools for two hours are $18 for ages 12–54, $16 for seniors 55+ and kids 2–11, and $8.50 for infants. Private indoor pools plus the outdoor pools are $32 for adults, $30 for seniors, $24 for kids and $12 for infants. You can add two-hour blocks at the front desk.
• Hours: 8 a.m.–9 p.m. daily, year-round.
• Reservations: not taken for the private indoor pools. It's first come, first served, so weekend evenings can mean a wait.
• Kids: welcome, but minors must be directly supervised by a parent or guardian at all times.

Good for families and anyone who wants a soak without planning ahead.

Sierra Hot Springs, Sierraville

Sierra Hot Springs is a non-profit retreat center on the edge of the Sierra Valley, about 25 miles north of Truckee on CA-89. From Kings Beach or Tahoe City it's about 35–40 miles, just under an hour, which makes it the closest hot spring to the California side of the North Shore. It's quiet and rustic, with lodging and camping on the property. You need to know two things before you go: you must reserve, and the pools are clothing-optional.

• The pools: the Hot Pool (110–112°F) sits inside a geodesic dome called the Temple Dome, with two cold plunges. Outside it is a larger Warm Pool (98–100°F), there's an outdoor Meditation Pool (98–100°F), and the Phoenix Baths are private tubs filled fresh for each guest.
• Day passes (from its rates page, Sep 2026): Thursday–Sunday, 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday are $35 per adult and $25 per child. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays are $40 per adult and $25 per child.
• Evening passes: Wednesday–Sunday, 4–11 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday are $35 per adult, Friday–Sunday and holidays $40.
• Membership: at least one person in your group must be a member. It costs $5 for 30 days, $20 for a year or $300 for life, on top of the pass.
• Reservations: required for every visit, prepaid. No drop-ins. The whole resort is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
• Rules: clothing-optional in the pools, sauna, showers and pool decks, with clothing required everywhere else. No alcohol, no drugs, no pets (and no pets left in cars). Photos aren't allowed in the bathing areas. Quiet is expected.
• Kids: allowed in the Temple Dome Warm Pool from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and in the Phoenix Baths. Under-15s can't use the Hot Pool, the Meditation Pool or the sauna.

Good for adults who want a long, quiet soak. It's the one to pick on a clear winter night if you're staying in Tahoe City or Kings Beach, as long as CA-89 north of Truckee is clear.

David Walley's, Genoa

David Walley's sits at the foot of the Carson Range at 2001 Foothill Road in Genoa, Nevada's oldest town, about 36 miles and an hour from Incline Village and roughly 20 miles from South Lake Tahoe. It has been a hot springs resort since the 1860s. Today it's run as Holiday Inn Club Vacations David Walley's Resort, with a set of outdoor mineral soaking pools, a heated swimming pool, a spa and a restaurant.

Walley's has sold day passes to people who aren't staying there, but its own website doesn't publish a day-use price, and third-party listings disagree on both the price and whether you need to book. Call the resort before you drive, ask whether day use is available on your date, what it costs, and what the age rules are for each pool.

Good for couples who want a resort soak with a meal, and for anyone staying on the South Shore.

Grover Hot Springs State Park, Markleeville

Grover Hot Springs State Park is four miles west of Markleeville, at the end of Hot Springs Road in an alpine meadow at 5,900 feet. From the North Shore it's about 60 miles, roughly an hour and a half through Carson Valley. It has the most traditional setup: a hot pool fed by the spring and a cooler swimming pool, plus a campground, picnic area and trails.

• Fees (from California State Parks, Sep 2026): $8 per vehicle for day use ($7 for seniors 62+), plus pool entry of $10 per adult and $5 per child.
• Pool days: the park lists the pool complex as open Friday through Monday, with tickets sold at the park on a first-come basis. Pool days and hours vary through the year.
• Current status: when we checked on September 30, 2026, the State Parks page showed the pool complex as closed. The pools close every year for maintenance in September, and they also close whenever there's lightning nearby. Day use of the park (sunrise to sunset) and the campground stayed open.

Good for families, and for anyone who wants the classic "soak in a meadow" hot spring with changing rooms and a picnic area. Check the park page or call the park before you make the drive, because this is the soak most likely to be closed when you arrive.

Free natural hot springs near Tahoe (a long drive)

The two free, undeveloped springs people mean when they search for "natural hot springs near Lake Tahoe" are both near Bridgeport, on US-395 in Mono County. They are about 100–130 miles from the North Shore, close to three hours each way. They're a good stop on a road trip down 395 toward Mammoth or Yosemite, but not a half-day outing from Tahoe.

Travertine Hot Springs

Travertine is on Bureau of Land Management land just southeast of Bridgeport, reached by a short dirt road. A handful of rock-lined pools sit on a ridge of white travertine with views of the Sawtooth Ridge. There's no fee. The BLM manages it as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern, so stay on the paths, don't build or dig new pools, and pack everything out.

The springs have deep cultural significance for the local Tribe, and the BLM closes the whole area to the public for ceremonies several times a year. The 2025 closure order, for example, covered about a week around the summer solstice (June 17–23), the autumn equinox (September 19–25) and the winter solstice (December 18–24). During a closure the gate is locked and no one is allowed in on foot or by car. Check the BLM Bishop Field Office for current closures before you drive.

Buckeye Hot Springs

Buckeye is on the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest northwest of Bridgeport, where hot water runs down a mineral mound into small pools at the edge of Buckeye Creek. It's free. You walk a short, steep path down from a dirt pullout, so wear real shoes.

The Forest Service closes Buckeye Road (FS Road 32017) to wheeled vehicles in winter by Forest Order, with gates at both ends. Driving around the gates is illegal, and the road stays impassable during the melt. From late fall to late spring, plan on skis or a fat bike, or skip it. The Bridgeport Ranger District has current road conditions.

Which hot spring should you choose?

• Staying in Incline Village or Crystal Bay: Steamboat (45 minutes) or Carson Hot Springs (50 minutes). Walley's is about an hour.
• Staying in Kings Beach, Tahoe Vista or Carnelian Bay: Sierra Hot Springs (under an hour through Truckee) or Steamboat (about 50 minutes over Mount Rose).
• Staying in Tahoe City or on the West Shore: Sierra Hot Springs, about an hour. The Nevada soaks are an hour to an hour and 20 minutes.
• With young children: Carson Hot Springs, or Grover when its pools are open.
• Couples: Steamboat for a private tub, Walley's for a resort evening, Sierra Hot Springs for quiet.
• Free and wild: Travertine or Buckeye, but only as part of a trip down US-395.
• Staying in South Lake Tahoe: Walley's and Grover are the closest. We don't have homes in South Lake; our homes are on the North and West Shores, about an hour's drive around the lake. Our North vs. South Lake Tahoe guide covers the differences.

Tips for soaking at altitude

• Drink water. Hot water plus 5,000–6,000 feet of elevation dehydrates you quickly. Drink before, during and after.
• Keep soaks short. Fifteen to twenty minutes in the hottest pool, then cool off. Sierra's Hot Pool runs at 110–112°F.
• Skip the alcohol. It's banned at Sierra Hot Springs, and mixing it with hot water at altitude is a bad idea anywhere.
• Check the pass before a winter drive. Mount Rose Highway, Spooner Summit and CA-89 north of Truckee all get chain controls. Caltrans and Nevada DOT post current conditions.
• At the natural springs: no glass, no soap in the pools, pack out your trash, and don't use them as a campsite.
• Health: if you're pregnant or have a heart condition or high blood pressure, check with your doctor before soaking in very hot water.

A hot tub back at the house

For a lot of our guests, the easiest soak is the one on the deck. Many of our homes have a private hot tub, which you can use under the stars after a ski day without driving anywhere. See our Lake Tahoe cabins with hot tubs, and read our hot tub etiquette guide before your first night.

Where to stay

Most of our homes are in Incline Village, the best base for Steamboat, Carson Hot Springs and Walley's. We also have homes in Crystal Bay, Kings Beach, Tahoe Vista, Carnelian Bay and Tahoe City, all within an hour of Sierra Hot Springs. Check which homes are free for your dates.

Booking direct costs less. Our nightly prices on Airbnb are set 28% higher than on our own site, and on Vrbo 17% higher, and every home page shows the dollar saving for your dates. Our booking direct vs. Airbnb guide explains why. If you have questions about a home, contact us or call (530) 317-0291.

Summary

Lake Tahoe has no public hot spring of its own; the one on the shore at Brockway belongs to a private resort. From the North Shore, the closest soaks are Steamboat in Reno and Carson Hot Springs in Carson City, both under an hour from Incline Village, and Sierra Hot Springs in Sierraville, under an hour from Kings Beach and Tahoe City. Walley's and Grover are closer to South Lake. Travertine and Buckeye are free and beautiful, but they're three hours away and subject to closures. Whichever you pick, check the operator's or agency's page on the day you go, then browse our homes for a base to soak from.