Questions about Hot Springs in Montana (Missoula, Bozeman: houses, living, swimming pool)

[Galactastica]

Hey Everyone, I'll be going to Montana for two weeks next month and I was looking into some good Hot Springs in the western half of the state. Everything I'm finding online are springs with resorts built up around them-which I'm not at all interested in. I'm looking for ones in more of a natural setting, free, perhaps less disturbed. My favorite hot springs are in New Mexico and Hawai'i and I can't imagine that all the springs in a place as wild as Montana have been scooped up and hidden in buildings with fancy shmancy crap around them. Any suggestions?

[Galactastica]

Ok, to add on to that I found the three places below that look promising. Any one have a review of these locations?

Weir Creek Hot Springs in Lolo
Renova Hot Springs in Whitehall
Gigantic Warm Springs in Lewistown

[oldtrader]

There are 17 or so hot springs in Montana. But they are going to be used for some purpose, not just sitting out there away from everything where you can take a dip for FREE. Hot Springs are a scarce resource, and are going to be used for geo thermal purposes, and are going to be commercialized.

Take as an example the largest one in the country which you have listed in Lewistown which you have listed.

It has been owned by one family since 1940, who developed it.

Here is a complete list of hot springs in Montana. Note phone numbers for reservations and to get more information on their hot spring.

http://tinyurl.com/bm53tsv

[MTSilvertip]

Most of the hot springs have been put to use that are outside of the park. Some, like Hunter's Hot Springs near Springdale, have greenhouses, (that project was Japanese but failed), but is still in private hands.
Many like Fairmont or Chico or Bozeman Hot Springs have swimming pools that use the natural springs.

If you want a hot spring you can access that isn't on private land, about the only ones I know of are small ones that feed into the Yellowstone River just to the north of Gardiner. Those can be accessed from the river by raft or in some cases, from the highway.

Be careful about jumping into one, they can be a couple hundred degrees coming out of the ground and you could get badly burnt.

[montygarlic]

Hey! Don't forget Quinn's near Paradise, MT. Small development (spring feeds a swimming pool); beautiful setting (along the Clark Fork River in a steep canyon); not well known (except by locals); good access to and from Missoula. Not free, but not expensive.

Good luck!

[Geo Roam]

Norris Hot Springs......nothing fancy.

[NDak15]

I saw the Bozeman Hot Springs and Chico Hot Springs were both mentioned. Bozeman Hot Springs is a popular spot for MSU students to relax. You always saw lots of students there at the end of midterms and close to finals. Chico is nice as well, and you can get service from the bar. As MTSilvertip mentioned they are more developed with actual pools. There is a warm spring near Carter's Bridge near Livingston and Corwin Springs is near Gardiner although I think that one is too hot to swim in.

[MontanaGyrl]

Just FYI to the OP, when I saw the title of your post I thought you were talking about the town of Hot Springs, not hot springs in general. Anyhoo: Natural Hot Springs Near Missoula Montana - AllTrips

[historyfan]

Two quaint ones- Sleeping Child Hot Springs by Hamilton and Lolo Hot Springs by Missoula.

[danicageesaman]

If you want a HOT spring, then Gigantic Warm Springs outside of Lewistown is not the choice. It's temp is I think 65 year round. Which is great in the winter. Or even the fall or early spring. But in the middle of summer, jumping into a warm spring doesn't feel warm. Not that I want to discourage anyone from coming to our lovely area. It's fabulous. But if you're hoping for a hot spring, then try again when the weather cools down. (Though there aren't any "shmancy" buildings around it.) If you want a chilling refresher, jump in! The water's cold!!