The northern Rocky Mountains offer an abundance of outdoor activities all year long, including the opportunity to spend some time in the many natural hot springs in the region. Bozeman has several hot springs within a 100-mile radius, offering soaking opportunities that range from somewhat ritzy to downright rustic.

Many of the hot springs in the area were developed into commercial facilities well over one hundred years ago. Bozeman Hot Springs is located just eight miles west of town on U.S. Highway 191 between Four Corners and Gallatin Gateway, and has nine different pools (both indoor and outdoor) with water temperatures ranging from 59-106 degrees Fahrenheit, as well as wet and dry sauna rooms. Rebuilt after a devastating fire in 2010, Bozeman Hot Springs also sports a new gym/fitness center featuring cardio and weight machines, and group fitness classes, and personal training sessions are also offered.

Norris Hot Springs is located 32 miles west of Bozeman on Highway 84. It features a unique outdoor, wooden-plank-lined pool with the temperature kept at a comfortable below-100 degree temperature in the summer, to as warm as 106 degrees during the winter months. Norris also boasts a café and grill (open from May-Sept), featuring free-range beef and organic vegetables (many grown right on site) transformed into salads, soups, and Mexican and Italian dishes. Steaks, burgers and other grill items are also offered during the summer season. Live music fills the air at Norris Hot Springs Friday-Sunday nights. The bands vary from night to night, and keep the music coming all year long from inside a dome constructed for comfort, heated by the natural hot spring water and situated for optimum sound.

Chico Hot Springs lies 52 miles southeast of Bozeman, over in the Yellowstone River’s fabled Paradise Valley. Chico has two open-air pools: a large swimming pool with a temp kept at around 96 degrees, and a smaller pool with a temperature at around 103 for soaking. The historic facility also boasts a full bar, small restaurant, elegant dining room, historic hotel and many other lodging opportunities, live music, and more. It’s hard to beat a Saturday sunrise soak at Chico (with a cup of fresh coffee), followed up with a bountiful brunch spread in the dining room.

The small town of White Sulphur Springs is 75 miles north of Bozeman. These springs were first developed into a bath house in the 1860s, and these days the waters can be enjoyed at the Spa Hot Springs Motel and Clinic, located where Highway 89 takes a right to become (for a short stretch) Main Street. Three pools with temperatures at 98, 103, and 105 degrees respectively serve to lure the hot springs enthusiast, and lodging, both new and delightfully retro, is available. Owner Dr. Gene Gudmunson also offers chiropractic and acupuncture services at the clinic. Along with waters that have been compared to those at Germany’s Baden Baden, the outdoor pools are surrounded by murals painted by Montana artist Mike Mahoney, depicting Native Americans meeting at this place of peace, and featuring the surrounding landscape and the area’s plant and animal life.

Boulder Hot Springs is located 87 miles northwest of Bozeman, just off of Highway 69 near the town of Boulder. A historic old hotel also beckons guests at this facility, which features indoor bath rooms for both men and women, including hot plunges (103-106 degrees) and steam rooms, along with an outdoor swimming pool kept at 96-100 degrees. Boulder offers a tobacco and drug-free environment, and alcohol consumption is also not allowed at the facility.

Undeveloped hot springs also tempt hot springs seekers in the Bozeman area, such as Potosi Hot Springs, not too far from Norris in the Tobacco Root Mountains, or Renova Hot Springs, along the Jefferson River near Whitehall, but the best undeveloped soak within a hundred miles of Bozeman has to be at the Boiling River in Yellowstone National Park. Located some 80 miles south of Bozeman (between Gardiner and Mammoth Hot Springs), the Boiling River has enough room for a hundred or more bathers, and plenty of parking. A short hike is required to get to the Boiling River, and elk and bison often wander the area, sometimes resulting in a rerouting of foot traffic to and from the hot springs as well as a memorable day.

Whether it’s a soak with all the amenities, or hot water and wilderness you seek, the greater Bozeman area can probably satisfy your needs. Happy soaking!

For more information on the area‘s developed hot springs, including prices and hours of operation, lodging and menus (if applicable), and more, contact:

Bozeman Hot Springs: (406) 586-6492 or
bozemanhotsprings.com
Norris Hot Springs: (406) 685-3303 or
norrishotsprings.com
Chico Hot Springs: (406) 333-4933 or
chicohotsprings.com
Spa Hot Springs (White Sulphur): (406) 547-3377 or spahotsprings.com
Boulder Hot Springs: (406) 225-4339 or
boulderhotsprings.com

Pat Hill is a freelance writer and hot spring lover from Bozeman, MT and a natural hot springs aficionado.