Spencer Hot Springs

We didn’t camp because it was extremely windy and forecasted to get down to the teens, so we just soaked and kept going. I’ve read reviews where folks parked their vans right in front of the one main pool- please do not ever do this. It’s a lovely spot, and nobody has a right to hog the pool. Be respectful! There are plenty of spots to camp around the area with east access to the pools.

The pool was hot, perfect for a cold, windy day, and clean. Thanks to all before us for keeping it clean!

Also, someone’s missing a big set of keys- if it’s you, they’re right by the blue pool. I hope you get them back.

If you like hot springs, this is a great place to go to. The water isn’t as clean as some we have been to but the experience and place overall is very relaxing and peaceful and the mountains are so beautiful to look at. There are 4 separate pools/tubs and they are all very separate and private. One had gold fish in it but was to cold to get in during cold months. The others were are great temp around 102-105. There were a few other campers during our stay. The first day there was a group camped right on the main soaking tub, which wasn’t ideal for others to use that tub but they left after the first day. Other campers were around but were quiet and kept to themselves. One “camper” decided to find us on social media to complain to us about our generator running (2hours the second night and 1 hour the morning we left) as well as she complained about the size of our rv. This doesn’t bother us because we did nothing wrong but just be aware of the type of people there don’t understand rvs when they are staying in their vehicle.
The road out was very washboard and was around 6miles of washboard but we have a 40’ rv and just took our time driving at a steady pace and had no problem at all. Lots of places to camp big rigs all around the area as well.
Overall our stay there was awesome. We tried two of the main tubs and they were both very awesome. Will for sure be back if we are in that part of Nevada again!

I do not know why the other reviewers say it takes 30 minutes. Yes the road is washboard but if you maintain a steady speed it wasn’t an issue. I have a 53 ft truck and trailer and yup my 41 foot trailer fit just fine.
They are donkeys not burros that come in the evening to drink the water. They can be a little noisy when other people try and get to close! We had antelope, jack rabbits and big fat field mice Also come visit.
We only went to the first “watering hole” and it was 113 degrees so be careful, but it was so quiet and amazing

My husband and I stayed here in our van overnight next to one of the springs. The spring was warm and we met some cool people while we were there. We saw wild donkey running through the fields. The wind was a little intense at night from a storm but besides that everything about this place was great. It’s a gravel and dirt road but if you keep a certain speed it’s not too bad going down.

The road is pretty good for the most part with a few rough areas and one pretty soft area. The views are great with lots of wildlife including wild burros, foxes, and rabbits. There are some flying insects, but surprisingly we didn’t notice any mosquitoes. The water is pretty hot and the tubs pretty slimy. The kids really enjoyed playing in the water. Not too crowded but there were several people coming and going.

We stayed here May 16-18. I don’t usually write reviews but I felt compelled to in this case. I definitely don’t want to warn everyone off of this beautiful area. The area is very remote (which is normally something I like) and the dirt road out there is very, very washboard. It’s fine for smaller vehicles, but we have a 29 ft motorhome. So if you do come out here in a bigger rig just know you have to go slow. There are four hot springs. The first one you come to is a cow trough and it has algae growing on the side. The second one is further up the hill and is beautiful and has a natural bottom, so mucky but fine. There is another one thats farther left past the cow trough one, it was another cow trough but I was told it was cleaner and a good temperature. The one farthest away was the coolest and not only had goldfish but a lot of algae. Like way too much. We stayed on like a Wednesday and Thursday I believe. Wednesday night was awful, people coming and going all night. All the springs full. Thursday everyone had cleared out and we had the natural bottom spring to ourselves. It was hot but nice. Beautiful scenery. Wild burros and rabbits and coyotes. I would have really enjoyed my stay, but my dog woke me up on Friday morning. She let me know something was up then promptly went limp and started pooping and peeing all over herself uncontrollably. We didn’t have phone service and had to drive maddeningly slow to get to the nearest vet who told us to drive another 2 hours to a bigger town with a better vet. Long story short she had been poisoned, they think rat poison. She was almost dead when we brought her in. They saved her life, but it cost us about $1,300 and quite a scare. We have a 1 year old son as well so we are just thankful that it wasn’t him. She was on her leash almost the entire time (except her late night pee where she runs out and comes back) and I never saw her get into anything. I know this is a long post, I just wanted to give some valuable info about a truly beautiful place, but also warn others if you have dogs or small children maybe skip this stop.

We stayed here for one night in mid sept. It's a great free site off highway 50, there is lots of space and room for people to camp and spread out. The hot springs are nice, not exactly "natural" because they are rigged up with tubes and tubs, and some were kind of gross with scum on top, cigarette butts and beer bottles floating in them, etc. it would be great if people would respect the space, because it is incredibly beautiful and the trash was unsightly. Go party in a hotel hot tub, not this gorgeous natural area!. The mountains surrounding were wonderful and the camping was good though. More stars than I've ever seen! Really wasn't anything else around, so make sure you have all the food and water you need. Saw lots of jackrabbits and heard foxes screaming and donkeys brayying which was cool. Overall it was a great spot and I'd come back again!

Location: you take a left off highway 50 (if you're heading west) and make your first left. It's a flat and wide, well maintained gravel road for 5 miles until you get to "hot springs" road, take that left. From there the roads throughout the springs are variable- some are quite bumpy and rutted. We made it just fine in 2wd Honda odessey.

We liked this place a lot at first, by the end of the weekend, we had seen two separate groups of people use these hot springs as a public bathtub. Hair washing, leg shaving. There wasn't enough turnover of the water to remove the soapy film so we didn't use it after the first two days...No one else seemed phased by this so use at your own discretion.

Logistics: There is no easy way to get to these hot springs. It's a very bumpy 5-7 mile long road. It's smooth (no big potholes) but it was a washboard so we couldn't go faster than 5 mph in our class C.
Once we finally made you there is a maze of roads that take you around to campsites. There are a lot to pick from and plenty of flat spots that likely require little to no leveling. You can stay near the hot springs to be next to the action or drive further out for more privacy and quiet. A lot of van, truck, and trailer campers when we were there.

Cell Service: It is NOT fast enough to work. Emails were easy, there is plenty of calling service, but data is hard to find. Sending attachments, video calls, and upload/download speeds were weak at best. Our T-Mobile phone said we had LTE service with full bars, but it wouldn't tether at all. Our Verizon phone was on extended network 3G and was what we worked from. We used a We-Boost to get better coverage but it didn't make much difference. Again, easy calling service, enough for quick things. Not enough to stream or Video Chat.

Things to do: Hot Springs. Hike. That's about it. The hot springs are awesome. There are were three nearby where we stayed and they varied in temperature. It's an open desert so you can hike till you're bored. Austin is the closest town and it's a small town with a western vibe. There isn't a lot in the town and the library has limited hours for working.

Also worth noting, Austin is at the top of a mountain. It's a long windy road to get to and from the town. It's about 30 minutes from the hot springs. The drive to Austin is do-able and there were plenty of semi and trailers on the road but if you are a nervous driver, take it slow because it is windy.

All in all, if you have a truck or are tent camping, it is super easy and fun to stop by. If you have a bigger RV and aren't too adventurous with where your rig drives, keep driving. It's a cool spot to see and an excellent free camping location if you need a place to hang out at for a night or two.