Red Hill Hot Springs

What to expect

Red Hill Hot Springs is the free half of Monroe’s hot water. On the northeast edge of this small Sevier Valley town, a spring rises on top of a low mound that is deep red from the minerals it has laid down. Wikipedia puts the source at about 168°F76°C with a flow of roughly 100 gallons per minute, and describes the mound as about a third of a mile across. That is far too hot to touch, so locals pipe the water down the slope to a short chain of pools at the base.

There are four pools in most recent accounts. The top one is the deepest, about 3 feet, and the hottest. The others are shallower, 1 to 2 feet, and each one runs a little cooler as the water spreads out. One trip report counts three small soaking pools plus a separate cold pool near the bottom of the flow, which comes to the same four. Each holds only a handful of people.

The look is the reason people stop here. The hillside is streaked red, orange and yellow, partly from iron in the water and partly from microbial mats that grow where the hot water runs. It is an easy place to photograph and an easy place to damage. Stay on the obvious paths and off the colored crust on the slope.

Facilities are basic: a parking area within sight of the pools, a pit toilet that serves as the changing room, and at times a couple of trash cans. There is no staff, no lifeguard and no drinking water.

Getting there

Monroe sits on State Route 118 at the south end of the Sevier Valley, about 10 miles south of Richfield and I-70.

• From Richfield: Take SR-118 south to Monroe. In town, turn east on 300 North from Main Street.
• In Monroe: Follow 300 North east for about 1.3 miles to the end of the road. The pavement gives way to graded dirt for roughly the last 0.4 miles. A normal car handles it in most conditions.

Park in the lot at the end of the road. The pools are visible from your car, so there is no real walk.

One warning from people who have been: phone maps sometimes try to route you toward Mystic Hot Springs on a rough, rutted track instead of 300 North. Ignore that and stay on 300 North all the way.

When to go

The spring flows all year and the road is short, so there is no closed season. What changes is comfort and crowding.

Late fall through early spring is the best time to soak. The Sevier Valley gets cold, the hot pools feel right, and steam rises off the hill on clear mornings. Snow on the mound is worth seeing. The dirt road can get muddy after storms, so drive it slowly.

Summer afternoons are hot and the top pool can feel like too much. Go early in the morning or around sunset.

Weekends are busy. Because the pools are free, small and close to town, groups arrive from midmorning onward, and four little pools fill quickly. A weekday morning gives you the best chance of space. One writer who visited on a Wednesday morning had the place to herself.

Rules and etiquette

There is no official sign board with a full rule list, so this is a summary of what guides and regular visitors report. The land is private, and public use depends on goodwill, so treat these as firm.

• Free entry. No fee, permit or reservation.
• Swimsuits required. This is a family soak on the edge of town.
• No overnight camping at the pools or in the parking area.
• No glass in or around the pools. Broken glass in a shallow pool is the worst outcome here.
• Pack out all trash, including food scraps and anything you find. The site gets heavy use.
• Leashed dogs only, and keep them out of the water.
• Share. If people are waiting, rotate out of the hottest pool after a while.

Hours are uncertain. One guide lists 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., another simply says to leave by dark. Assume day use and do not arrive late at night.

Where to stay nearby

There is no lodging or camping at Red Hill itself.

• Mystic Hot Springs, in Monroe on the east side of town, has campsites, RV sites, a cabin and a fleet of converted buses you can sleep in, plus its own soaking pools sold as paid two-hour passes. It is the closest place to sleep and is a separate spring, not a second entrance to this one.
• Richfield, about 10 miles north on SR-118, has chain motels, restaurants and grocery stores, and is the usual base for the area.
• Fishlake National Forest surrounds the valley and has Forest Service campgrounds in the mountains above it. Check the Forest Service site for which ones are open, as many close for winter.

Safety notes

• Scalding source. The water at the top of the mound is close to boiling. Do not climb up to the source or put your hands in the pipes or the channels near it.
• Test every pool. Pool temperatures change with weather and with how the pipes and small dams are set on any given day. Check with your hand before you get in, and keep kids in the cooler lower pools.
• Short soaks. In the hottest pool, limit yourself to a few minutes at a time, drink water, and get out if you feel light-headed. Do not put your head under the water in any hot spring.
• Footing. Pool bottoms and edges can hide sharp debris. Water shoes are a good idea.
• No supervision. These are informal, unregulated pools with no staff on site. Watch children closely.

Nearby stops worth adding

Mystic Hot Springs is the obvious pairing. It sits on its own travertine mound, the Monroe Mound, which Wikipedia describes as about a mile long, and charges for access to its soaking pools. Doing a free morning soak at Red Hill and an evening session at Mystic is a common plan. The two are about 0.6 miles apart as the crow flies, but drive between them on town streets rather than cutting across on the dirt tracks. Mystic sells its soaks as timed passes that you book online, so reserve ahead on weekends.