Shoshone Village Warm Springs Pool

What to expect

Shoshone is a very small desert village, population 22 at the 2020 census, at the meeting point of California Highways 127 and 178 on the southeastern edge of Death Valley National Park. It was founded in 1910 and grew up as a stop on the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad, which shut down in 1940. Today the whole place is run as Shoshone Village: an inn, an RV park and campground, a café and saloon, a general store with fuel, and a museum.

The “hot spring” here is a spring-fed outdoor swimming pool. Water from a natural warm mineral spring fills a long, rectangular pool at the north end of the village, beside a patch of protected wetland. It is not a hot soaking tub. The water is warm, closer to a heated swimming pool than to the hot pools at nearby Tecopa, and good for a long swim or a float at the end of a dusty day in the park. Shoshone Village does not publish a temperature, and visitor reports vary, so this listing does not give one.

Some guides list the pool as Shoshone Hot Springs. On the ground and in the village’s own materials it is simply the warm springs pool.

The village is quiet, with green trees and wetland in an otherwise bare valley. Next to the pool, the Shoshone Spring Interpretive Trail loops through wetlands, ponds that hold endangered pupfish, and habitat for rare voles. The village promotes it for birding during spring and fall migration.

Getting there

Shoshone is remote, but the roads in are paved.

• From Baker and I-15: Take CA-127 north through the desert. Shoshone is the first village of any size you reach.
• From Las Vegas or Pahrump: Take Nevada 160 to Pahrump, then head west on Nevada 372, which becomes CA-178 at the state line and runs over the hills to Shoshone.
• From Death Valley: From Furnace Creek, either drive south on Badwater Road and continue on CA-178 east over the passes, or go east to Death Valley Junction on CA-190 and south on CA-127.

The pool is at the north end of the village, across the lane from the RV park, next to the trailhead for the interpretive trail. The Shoshone Inn, the Crowbar Café and the museum are clustered about a quarter mile south. Parking is easy throughout the village.

When to go

October to April is the comfortable season. Days are mild, nights are cool, and a warm swim feels right after sunset. This is also the main Death Valley season, so book rooms well ahead around holidays and spring wildflower periods.

Summer is extreme. Daytime temperatures in this part of the Mojave regularly climb well past 100°F38°C. The pool still runs, but most people swim early in the morning or after dark.

The pool is open all year. Staff close it for routine cleaning from time to time, so ask at check-in about the current schedule.

Prices and booking

Pool access is part of a stay, not a separate ticket.

• Who can swim: The village brochure says all guests of the Inn have free access to the warm spring pool, and the RV park and campground list the pool among their facilities. Guests are given a key to the pool gate.
• Day use: No public day pass is advertised. Call the Shoshone Village office at 760-852-4224 if you want to ask.
• The Shoshone Inn: 17 rooms, five with kitchenettes, plus a suite and the Whiffletree bungalow with a full kitchen and outdoor area. One bungalow is ADA compliant. Children aged 5 and over are charged as adults, at $15 per extra person. Check-in runs 2pm to 10pm and the front desk is staffed 8am to 10pm. Book at 760-852-4335 or online.
• Shoshone RV Park and Campground: 25 full hook-up sites plus open and shaded tent sites, with a laundromat, restrooms, showers, a library, a community room and a fire pit. Check-in is 1pm to 9pm. Book at 760-852-4569 or online.
• Vacation rentals: The village also rents a few houses, booked through the RV park office.

Room and site rates are not posted on the village site. Check the online booking engine for current prices.

Facilities

The Crowbar Café and Saloon serves breakfast, lunch and dinner in a historic building with a patio. The Charles Brown General Store sells groceries, camping supplies, gas and propane. The Shoshone Museum covers local history and the geology of the Amargosa and Death Valley region. There is also a small public airstrip across the highway.

Where to stay nearby

Staying in Shoshone is the only way to use the pool.

• Shoshone Inn and RV park are the obvious choice, a few minutes’ walk from the water.
• Tecopa, a short drive south, has several hot spring resorts, bathhouses and campgrounds, and makes a good second base.
• Furnace Creek in Death Valley National Park has hotels and large campgrounds if you want to be in the park itself.

Safety notes

• Desert heat. In summer, drink far more water than you think you need and avoid strenuous walks in the middle of the day. Carry extra water in the car on every desert drive.
• Long distances. Fuel up in Shoshone before heading into Death Valley or toward Baker. Services are far apart.
• Pool rules. The pool is unsupervised. Read the posted rules at the gate, watch children closely and do not swim alone at night.
• Wildlife and wetlands. The ponds along the interpretive trail protect endangered species. Stay on the trail and keep dogs out of the water.

Nearby stops worth adding

Dublin Gulch, at the edge of the village, is a set of old miners’ homes dug straight into the soft caliche hills, an unusual stop for a short walk. Tecopa Hot Springs is close enough for an afternoon soak in hotter water. And CA-178 west from Shoshone is the back road into Death Valley, leading to Badwater Basin.