Roper Lake State Park Hot Spring

The short version

For years, the hot spring at Roper Lake State Park was one of the easiest public soaks in Arizona: a small stone-lined tub a short walk from the parking area, included in the price of park entry. It is not available any more. In mid-2019 the park’s facility page carried a notice that the Roper Lake hot tub was closed and that staff were working to get it back in working order. By June 2022 the wording had changed to “permanently closed”, and it stayed that way through at least mid-2025. The park’s current pages, updated in 2026, no longer mention a hot tub at all.

This page stays up because the tub still appears on many hot spring lists and older travel articles. If you are driving to Safford for a soak, go to one of the private bathhouses instead (see below). If you are coming for the lake, the campgrounds or the cabins, Roper Lake is still open every day of the year.

What the hot spring was

The tub sat in the main Roper Lake unit, six miles south of Safford at the foot of Mount Graham. A DesertUSA profile of the park from around 2000 describes a small mineral pool lined with stone, with stone steps and a handrail leading down into water at about 97°F36°C. Other references put the spring at about 99°F37°C where it came out of the ground and describe a single rock and concrete pool that held around eight people. Older park rules banned pets and glass containers from the “hot tub area”, which tells you how popular it was.

We have not found an official explanation for the closure. Treat any claim about why it closed as unconfirmed unless it comes from Arizona State Parks.

What is still at Roper Lake

The park itself is busy and well kept. It is built around a 30-acre lake at 3,130 feet, with views up to the Pinaleño Mountains and 10,724-foot Mount Graham.

• Swimming: a sandy designated swimming area on the west side of the day-use island. There is no lifeguard, and swimming outside the marked area is not allowed.
• Fishing: catfish, bass and crappie, with a level fishing pad for wheelchair users noted in older park profiles.
• Trails and birding: short trails and good birding, with more than 60 bird species recorded across the Roper Lake and Dankworth Pond units.
• Day use: picnic areas with tables, grills and shade ramadas, three bookable group ramadas, a visitor center with a park store, and a fenced dog park.

Getting there

Roper Lake State Park is at 101 East Roper Lake Road, about 6 miles south of Safford in Graham County, southeast Arizona.

• From Safford: Head south on US 191 from its junction with US 70 and follow the state park signs to the entrance. It takes about 10 minutes.
• From Tucson: Take I-10 east past Willcox to exit 352, then follow US 191 north toward Safford. The park is on the way, before you reach town.
• From Phoenix: Take US 60 east to Globe, then US 70 southeast through the Gila Valley to Safford, and US 191 south to the park.

Arizona State Parks gives the entrance coordinates as 32.75862, -109.70746, which is the point on this page’s map. The roads are paved all the way.

When to go

March to May and September to November are the comfortable months. Summer days in the Gila Valley are hot, often in the high 90s or around 100°F38°C, though the lake and swimming area help. Winter days are mild, but nights drop to around freezing.

Prices and booking

• Entry: $10 per vehicle with one person, $20 per vehicle with two to four people, $5 for walk-ins and bicycles. A day-use receipt is valid at both Roper Lake and Dankworth Pond on the same day.
• Hours: day use 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. The entrance gate closes at 9 p.m. Visitor center hours vary with staffing. The park closes on Christmas Day and has shorter hours on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve.
• Rules: pets on a leash and cleaned up after, and not allowed on the swimming beach. No glass on the day-use island. Camping in designated sites only, for up to 14 nights in any 30 days. Quiet hours 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Where to stay nearby

• In the park: Hacienda Campground has 20 sites with water and electric. Cottonwood Campground has 25 back-in hookup sites. Gila Campground has non-electric sites and a group area. Both hookup loops have restrooms with hot showers. Eight camping cabins line the lake at $129 a night plus a $5 reservation fee. They have electricity and air conditioning but no open flames, and pets are allowed only in some of them. Book cabins and campsites online or on (877) MY-PARKS.
• Safford, 6 miles north, has motels, restaurants and fuel.

Where to soak instead

• Essence of Tranquility, on Lebanon Loop Road a few miles from the park, rents private mineral tub rooms by the hour and has one communal tub where swimsuits are required. It also has simple casitas and tent sites, and overnight stays include tub use. It closes Sundays and Mondays and does not allow children under 12 in the tubs.
• Dankworth Pond, the park’s second unit about 3 miles south, is fed by a warm artesian spring but is a fishing pond, not a place to soak.

Safety notes

• Old pictures, current rules. Do not try to use the closed tub or any water you find around the old site. The park has closed it, and nobody tests that water.
• Heat. Summer afternoons are hot even by the lake. Bring water and shade if you plan to walk the trails.
• Lake swimming. There is no lifeguard. The park warns that water in the open lake can be much colder than in the shallows.

Nearby stops worth adding

Mount Graham is reached by the Swift Trail (AZ 366), which leaves US 191 close to the park and climbs from Chihuahuan desert scrub into conifer forest. It is the usual escape on a hot day. Its upper road has seasonal closures, so check with the Coronado National Forest first.