Medicine Hot Springs

What to know first

Medicine Hot Springs is not a place you can soak. It is a private property in the far south of the Bitterroot Valley, near Sula and Conner, and it has not operated as a public resort for about four decades. In March 2026 the whole estate went to auction. This page exists because the name still shows up on maps and in old hot springs lists, and we want to save you a wasted drive.

If you are looking for hot water in this part of Montana, skip to the section on where to soak instead.

Which Medicine Hot Springs is this?

Several Montana springs carry the word “Medicine,” and they are easy to mix up.

• Medicine Hot Springs (this page) is in Ravalli County, on Medicine Springs Road in the Sula area. OpenStreetMap marks it as a named place, and federal land records show private land at that point. Auction coverage puts the address at 260 Medicine Springs Road near Conner and describes it as about four miles from Sula.
• Big Medicine Hot Springs is a public outdoor pool in the town of Hot Springs, on the Flathead Indian Reservation. It is open and is a completely different place.
• K Bar L Ranch Medicine Springs is at a guest ranch on the Rocky Mountain Front, on the other side of the state.
• Sleeping Child Hot Springs is in the Bitterroot too, but up Sleeping Child Creek east of Hamilton, far to the north of this property.

History

The Bozeman Daily Chronicle’s coverage of the 2026 auction lays out a long chain of owners. Ed Miles claimed and settled the site in 1883. In 1885 he and Ed and Bertie Lord built a hotel at the springs. The Lords sold their shares in 1900, and in 1903 George Steele of Grantsdale bought the springs. Steele later sold to Edwin Smith of Hamilton, who built a hotel that later burned, plus cabins and a swimming pool. His son Barton added more cabins in 1943.

Harold Mildenberger was a later owner, and he sold the springs in 1988. A local history entry quoted in the same coverage says Bitterroot residents used the springs from the early 1900s until they closed around 1983. Since then the property has been a private retreat.

The 2026 auction

In early 2026 Elite Auctions listed the property, last priced at $7.95 million, for a no-reserve auction held on site on March 10, 2026. The listing coverage described:

• 119 acres, bordered on three sides by US Forest Service land
• Warm Springs Creek running through the property
• a hot springs pool of about 2,046 square feet, a hot tub and a historic three-tub bathhouse
• water described as chemical-free, at 94-114°F34-46°C
• senior geothermal water rights dating to 1908
• a 3,797-square-foot main residence, 12 historic cabins, the East Game Lodge and four remodeled guest cabins

The auction was pitched at buyers wanting a family retreat or a hospitality or wellness business. We found no report naming the buyer or a sale price, and no announcement of a public opening. Until a new owner says otherwise, treat it as private.

Can you visit?

No. There are no public hours, no day passes and no booking system. The springs are on private land with no stated public access, and the surrounding national forest does not give you a right to cross private property to reach them. Please do not drive onto the property or knock on doors to ask for a soak.

If the new owners ever open to the public, we will update this page with their hours and prices.

Getting there (for reference only)

The property is on Medicine Springs Road in southern Ravalli County, off US Highway 93 in the Sula area, south of Darby. Since it is private, there is no visitor parking or trailhead. If you are driving US-93 toward Lost Trail Pass, you will pass the area on the way to the open resort described below.

When to go and where to soak instead

There is no season to plan around, because the springs are closed. For a soak in the same area:

• Lost Trail Hot Springs is south of Sula on US-93, about 6 miles from the Idaho line. It has a spring-fed pool, a hot tub and a sauna, plus cabins and lodges. Its hours are limited outside midsummer, mostly Friday to Sunday, so check before you drive.
• Sleeping Child Hot Springs, east of Hamilton, is another historic Bitterroot spring. It is a private, gated estate and has been closed to walk-in soakers since the early 1990s.

Rules on the surrounding forest

The national forest land around the property belongs to the Bitterroot National Forest, and two forest-wide rules apply if you camp or hike nearby:

• Camping limits: under the Northern Region order R1-2025-01 (August 1, 2025 to July 31, 2030), you may stay up to 16 consecutive days at one site in Montana national forests and 32 days in total per calendar year.
• Food storage: the Bitterroot National Forest food storage order applies from March 1 to December 1 each year through 2027. Food, trash and scented items must be within 100 feet and sight of an awake person, in a bear-resistant container or closed vehicle, or hung at least 10 feet off the ground.

Where to stay nearby

• Lost Trail Hot Springs has cabins and lodge rooms, with pool use included for lodging guests.
• Darby and Hamilton, north on US-93, have motels, restaurants and gas.
• Dispersed camping is allowed on much of the Bitterroot National Forest, subject to the rules above and any fire restrictions.

Safety notes

• Respect private land. Trespassing to reach private springs is the quickest way to get them fenced off for good.
• Winter roads: US-93 south of Sula climbs to Lost Trail Pass and is often snowy from November to April.
• Wildlife: this is bear, elk and moose country. Store food properly and drive slowly at dusk.