Hot springs near Sedona mean a day away, not a quick stop between town sights. Verde Hot Springs pairs riverside soaking with a river crossing, El Dorado Hot Spring offers a choice of soaking areas in Tonopah, and Kaiser Hot Springs lies beyond a highway trailhead in a canyon wash.
Choose the outing by its access as well as its pools. A shorter drive can still involve rough roads and a crossing, while a facility-based soak leaves the walking out but commits you to a long drive back to Sedona.
Natural pools or a private soak
| Criterion | Verde Hot Springs | El Dorado Hot Spring | Kaiser Hot Springs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outward drive from Sedona | about 2 hours, to ChildsBest | about 2 and a half hours | about 3 hours, to trailhead |
| Onward walk | about 25 minutes | — | — |
| Day-use admission | — | Communal: $20 per person per hour or $45 per person for a day pass | — |
| Soaking setting | Riverside pools and painted ruins | Private or communal soaking | Small canyon-wash rock pool |
Treat all three as full-day outings from Sedona. Verde combines the shortest drive with backcountry access. El Dorado suits you if you want to make soaking, rather than a walk, the main activity. Kaiser puts a canyon-wash walk after the longest road journey. For either natural spring, leave energy and daylight for the walk out before driving home.
Verde Hot Springs
Verde Hot Springs brings together primitive riverside pools and the painted remains of a former resort. An enclosed tub and an open-air pool give the stop more to explore than a single rock pool. Leave time to look at the surviving structures as well as to soak, but make reaching the pools safely the deciding condition for the day.
From Sedona, the drive to Childs river access is about 58 miles and takes about 2 hours. The final approach on foot is about 1 mile and takes about 25 minutes. That walk includes a river crossing, so arriving at Childs is not the same as reaching the springs. You return along the same approach, with the crossing and walk still ahead of you when you finish soaking.
A high-clearance vehicle is highly recommended for the road to Childs, and four-wheel drive may also be helpful. Choose the vehicle for this approach rather than judging it by the distance from Sedona. Take drinking water, food and what you need for the walk with you, and leave enough daylight for the journey back to the vehicle.
The Verde Wild and Scenic River order covers campfires, occupancy and use along the river through 1 December 2028. It does not close access to Childs or the springs approach via Forest Road 502. Its scope is separate from whether the river crossing is safe on the day. Plan this as a full-day outing, but be willing to return without a soak.
El Dorado Hot Spring
El Dorado Hot Spring in Tonopah makes soaking without a backcountry approach the reason to leave Sedona for the day. You can visit without staying overnight. Choose Desert Pete if communal soaking suits you, or a private soaking experience if you want your own space rather than the shared area.
- Name
- El Dorado Hot Spring
- Location
- 41225 W Indian School Road, Tonopah, Arizona Maps
- Essential fact
- A hot-spring soaking facility in Tonopah with private and communal soaking areas.
The outward drive from Sedona is about 159 miles and takes about 2 and a half hours. Treat this as a full-day drive-and-soak outing, even if you choose only a short session in the water. The drive back remains a substantial part of the day, so allow time for a meal and a break rather than putting all your available time into soaking.
Desert Pete is clothing-optional and for guests aged 21 and older. No reservation is required for this communal area. Make sure everyone in your group is comfortable with that setting before choosing it, particularly if you would otherwise expect a swimsuit-only pool.
- Communal hourly admission
- $20 per person per hour
- Communal day pass
- $45 per person
- Office contact hours
- 9am–8pm daily
The hourly option suits a brief soak, while the day pass gives you more freedom to linger without counting each hour. Choose by how much time you want at Desert Pete after allowing for the return drive. The office hours are for contacting the facility.
Kaiser Hot Springs
Kaiser Hot Springs is a small undeveloped rock pool in a canyon wash, making the walk part of the outing rather than simply access to a facility. From Sedona, the drive to its highway trailhead on US 93 is about 144 miles and takes about 3 hours.
The road journey ends at the trailhead, not at the pool. Continue on foot through the wash to reach the spring, then return on foot before driving back to Sedona. Take water and food for the outing and leave daylight for the walk out. With a long road journey on either side of the walk and soak, Kaiser belongs in a full-day plan, not a short detour.
Sources & fact-checking
Checks against the sources below cover: fares and charges, as well as services.
- U.S. Forest Service (Coconino, Prescott, and Tonto National Forests) — service
- Childs Dispersed Camping Area
- Verde Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive River Management Plan Final Environmental Assessment
- National Park Service — service
- El Dorado Hot Spring
- El Dorado Hot Spring — fares and charges
- Pricing — El Dorado Hot Spring
- Castle Hot Springs — service
